﻿<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes" ?>
<rss  version="2.0">
  <channel>
    <title>Microsoft News Center – News and Announcements from Microsoft</title>
    <link>http://www.microsoft.com/presspass</link>
    <description>A feed to help a journalist or other member of the media stay current on all news and announcements from Microsoft Corp.</description>
    <copyright>&amp;amp;copy; 2011 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved</copyright>
    <pubDate>Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:21:34 GMT</pubDate>
    <item>
      <title>Meet Xbox Music, Microsoft’s New All-in-One Music Service</title>
      <description>
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash.&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;— &lt;b&gt;Oct. 14, 2012&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;— If music makes the people come together, as Madonna says, the new Xbox Music gives people all the music they love, every way they want it. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Xbox Music, Microsoft’s new all-in-one music service, specially designed to let users listen to music in exactly the way they want, begins rolling out to millions of people around the world Oct. 16 on the Xbox 360, then to the masses with Windows 8 on Oct. 26. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The all-in-one music service combines the best aspects of free-streaming radio, music subscription services and music purchasing options, all in one elegant package, says Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business Marketing and Strategy. No longer do people have to rely on “service hopping” to get the music they love.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For example, Mehdi explains, here’s a not-that-outlandish scenario for a music lover today: you’re listening to an Internet radio station at work, say Pandora, and you hear a new song you love. You quickly stop what you’re doing and bookmark the song before it stops playing. Later, in the car, you open Pandora to look up the name of the bookmarked song, then you open Spotify so you can use your subscription to listen to it again. Two weeks later, you’re thoroughly in love with the song, and decide you want to buy it so you can burn it to a mix CD you’re making a friend, so you purchase the MP3 on Amazon or iTunes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14All_Page.jpg" alt="Music Your Way" width="300" height="169" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Music Your Way&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 12, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Xbox all-in-one music service enables users to listen to music how, when, where and on what device they want.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14All_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14All_Print.jpg"&gt;Print&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“There are a lot of individual services that do a good job, but today there isn’t a service which can pull together the benefits of download-to-own, music subscription, or free streaming services,” Mehdi says. “With Xbox Music, what we wanted to do is bring all of that value in one simple, easy-to-use service, then build some additional value on top — make it really beautiful, and have it work across all of your devices.  We’ve been able to simplify the music experience in a really powerful way.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mehdi says Xbox Music will have arguably the largest music catalog of all music services, with 30 million songs, and that the experience offers a fantastic way of discovering new music.  He says Xbox Music also will be the only all-in-one music service that enables users to listen to music in whatever way — and on whatever device — they choose.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I’m excited as a consumer because I myself am a big music fan and this really will replace all of those other services I’ve been using,” Mehdi says. “From a business perspective, Xbox Music is a great way to show the world what Xbox means for broader entertainment on their phone, tablet, PC or console.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With Xbox Music, users can listen to individual songs or full albums for free on their Windows 8-based tablet and PC; create music mixes and playlists; create artist-based Internet radio stations; use Smart DJ to create playlists with unlimited skipping; and purchase the music they want to own. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We’re going to power what we feel is going to be the best music experience for users of Windows 8, and it’s the only operating system on a tablet that can do free streaming because of the rights we’ve secured,” Mehdi says. “It’s a great reason to buy Windows 8.” Xbox Music also has options for those who want to integrate their personal music library into their “digital music life,” says Scott Porter, principal program manager for Xbox Music. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And, because Xbox Music is a cloud-based service, users can take those carefully curated playlists, their favorite artists, and their streaming stations anywhere, and play them on any device.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14Porter_Page.jpg" alt="Scott Porter" width="300" height="215" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Scott Porter&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 13, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Scott Porter is principal program manager for Microsoft’s Xbox Music.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14Porter_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14Porter_Print.jpg"&gt;Print&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I think what we’ve seen over the past several years is that discovering, managing and consuming music has gotten to be hard work,” Porter says. “Our aspirations for Xbox Music are big — to address the multiple ways that people are listening to music, then put those all in one easy-to-use and beautifully curated place.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Current music services let users discover new music based on artists they already like for free, and listen to unlimited music of their choice with a subscription, and even buy the songs they choose, but no one music service has incorporated all of those options until now, Porter says.  &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, until now, it’s been complicated for users to incorporate their personal collection of MP3s or ripped CDs and have access to all of that music on any device, anywhere they go. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Xbox Music, which comes pre-installed and is the default music player for the new Windows 8 operating system, will feature free, ad-supported streaming of the entire catalog on PCs and tablets as long as users have an Internet connection. Users can also make playlists, discover new music, and purchase and download music. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Purchasing an Xbox Music Pass for US$9.99 a month will allow users to take that music to the cloud, letting them enjoy the collection they’ve curated on other devices such as Windows Phone 8 and Xbox 360. “All they’ll need to do is sign in, and they’ll instantly have all of their content on that device, including access to the playlists they’ve built,” Porter says. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Xbox Music app will even eventually be available on platforms such as Android and iOS as well, he says.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“When creating Xbox Music, we started off with a simple principle — music should never be work. That’s why we’ve put it all together to create, basically, a one-stop-shop,” Porter says. “It’s a really nice marriage between unlimited listening, the cloud and your personal collection. We hope users out there will see that we’ve put together the world’s entire catalog that they can easily integrate with what they already own — they can very quickly simplify their digital music life.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Microsoft’s overarching goal, he explains, is to make it easier for people to discover new music, to take it with them and to listen to it wherever (and with whatever) they want.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Consumers demand a lot of flexibility in finding, managing and listening to their music across devices, and we’re focused on simplifying that,” Porter says. “Microsoft and its Interactive Entertainment Business want to bring music, video, games and entertainment to consumers everywhere they are, and Xbox Music is going to execute on an important part of that vision.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mehdi says the excitement around Xbox and music is just beginning. The team is excited to bring a “whole new world of interactivity” to things like movies, television, games and music.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Music is a deeply, emotionally connected topic for people everywhere — people’s memories and special moments are always associated with music,” Mehdi says. “It’s a powerful area because of that, and I’m excited that we’re going to be able to bring that to life in our product.”&lt;/p&gt;
      </description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">B6CA21D255ABF1177D13ADC53478603E286084AB</guid>
      <link>http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/oct12/10-14XboxMusic.aspx</link>
      <category>Consumer</category>
      <category>Yusuf Mehdi</category>
      <category>Xbox</category>
      <sxp:ChannelId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">NewsCenter</sxp:ChannelId>
      <sxp:FeedId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">FeatureStories</sxp:FeedId>
      <sxp:PublishId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">1004045</sxp:PublishId>
      <sxp:AssetId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">B6CA21D255ABF1177D13ADC53478603E286084AB</sxp:AssetId>
      <sxp:Author xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Comments xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:ContentType xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Copyright xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Url xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Type xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Length xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">0</sxp:Enclosure_Length>
      <sxp:ExpirationDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:GoLiveDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:00:00 GMT</sxp:GoLiveDate>
      <sxp:IncludeInRiver xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IncludeInRiver>
      <sxp:IsFeatured xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">False</sxp:IsFeatured>
      <sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned>
      <sxp:LastUpdated xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:00:47 GMT</sxp:LastUpdated>
      <sxp:Link xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/oct12/10-14XboxMusic.aspx</sxp:Link>
      <sxp:PublishDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:00:00 GMT</sxp:PublishDate>
      <sxp:RelativeTime xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">13 hours ago</sxp:RelativeTime>
      <sxp:SortOrder xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:SourceName xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Title xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Meet Xbox Music, Microsoft’s New All-in-One Music Service</sxp:Title>
      <sxp:Content xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash.&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;— &lt;b&gt;Oct. 14, 2012&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;— If music makes the people come together, as Madonna says, the new Xbox Music gives people all the music they love, every way they want it. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Xbox Music, Microsoft’s new all-in-one music service, specially designed to let users listen to music in exactly the way they want, begins rolling out to millions of people around the world Oct. 16 on the Xbox 360, then to the masses with Windows 8 on Oct. 26. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The all-in-one music service combines the best aspects of free-streaming radio, music subscription services and music purchasing options, all in one elegant package, says Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business Marketing and Strategy. No longer do people have to rely on “service hopping” to get the music they love.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For example, Mehdi explains, here’s a not-that-outlandish scenario for a music lover today: you’re listening to an Internet radio station at work, say Pandora, and you hear a new song you love. You quickly stop what you’re doing and bookmark the song before it stops playing. Later, in the car, you open Pandora to look up the name of the bookmarked song, then you open Spotify so you can use your subscription to listen to it again. Two weeks later, you’re thoroughly in love with the song, and decide you want to buy it so you can burn it to a mix CD you’re making a friend, so you purchase the MP3 on Amazon or iTunes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14All_Page.jpg" alt="Music Your Way" width="300" height="169" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Music Your Way&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 12, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Xbox all-in-one music service enables users to listen to music how, when, where and on what device they want.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14All_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14All_Print.jpg"&gt;Print&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“There are a lot of individual services that do a good job, but today there isn’t a service which can pull together the benefits of download-to-own, music subscription, or free streaming services,” Mehdi says. “With Xbox Music, what we wanted to do is bring all of that value in one simple, easy-to-use service, then build some additional value on top — make it really beautiful, and have it work across all of your devices.  We’ve been able to simplify the music experience in a really powerful way.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mehdi says Xbox Music will have arguably the largest music catalog of all music services, with 30 million songs, and that the experience offers a fantastic way of discovering new music.  He says Xbox Music also will be the only all-in-one music service that enables users to listen to music in whatever way — and on whatever device — they choose.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I’m excited as a consumer because I myself am a big music fan and this really will replace all of those other services I’ve been using,” Mehdi says. “From a business perspective, Xbox Music is a great way to show the world what Xbox means for broader entertainment on their phone, tablet, PC or console.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With Xbox Music, users can listen to individual songs or full albums for free on their Windows 8-based tablet and PC; create music mixes and playlists; create artist-based Internet radio stations; use Smart DJ to create playlists with unlimited skipping; and purchase the music they want to own. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We’re going to power what we feel is going to be the best music experience for users of Windows 8, and it’s the only operating system on a tablet that can do free streaming because of the rights we’ve secured,” Mehdi says. “It’s a great reason to buy Windows 8.” Xbox Music also has options for those who want to integrate their personal music library into their “digital music life,” says Scott Porter, principal program manager for Xbox Music. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And, because Xbox Music is a cloud-based service, users can take those carefully curated playlists, their favorite artists, and their streaming stations anywhere, and play them on any device.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14Porter_Page.jpg" alt="Scott Porter" width="300" height="215" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Scott Porter&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 13, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Scott Porter is principal program manager for Microsoft’s Xbox Music.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14Porter_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14Porter_Print.jpg"&gt;Print&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I think what we’ve seen over the past several years is that discovering, managing and consuming music has gotten to be hard work,” Porter says. “Our aspirations for Xbox Music are big — to address the multiple ways that people are listening to music, then put those all in one easy-to-use and beautifully curated place.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Current music services let users discover new music based on artists they already like for free, and listen to unlimited music of their choice with a subscription, and even buy the songs they choose, but no one music service has incorporated all of those options until now, Porter says.  &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, until now, it’s been complicated for users to incorporate their personal collection of MP3s or ripped CDs and have access to all of that music on any device, anywhere they go. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Xbox Music, which comes pre-installed and is the default music player for the new Windows 8 operating system, will feature free, ad-supported streaming of the entire catalog on PCs and tablets as long as users have an Internet connection. Users can also make playlists, discover new music, and purchase and download music. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Purchasing an Xbox Music Pass for US$9.99 a month will allow users to take that music to the cloud, letting them enjoy the collection they’ve curated on other devices such as Windows Phone 8 and Xbox 360. “All they’ll need to do is sign in, and they’ll instantly have all of their content on that device, including access to the playlists they’ve built,” Porter says. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Xbox Music app will even eventually be available on platforms such as Android and iOS as well, he says.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“When creating Xbox Music, we started off with a simple principle — music should never be work. That’s why we’ve put it all together to create, basically, a one-stop-shop,” Porter says. “It’s a really nice marriage between unlimited listening, the cloud and your personal collection. We hope users out there will see that we’ve put together the world’s entire catalog that they can easily integrate with what they already own — they can very quickly simplify their digital music life.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Microsoft’s overarching goal, he explains, is to make it easier for people to discover new music, to take it with them and to listen to it wherever (and with whatever) they want.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Consumers demand a lot of flexibility in finding, managing and listening to their music across devices, and we’re focused on simplifying that,” Porter says. “Microsoft and its Interactive Entertainment Business want to bring music, video, games and entertainment to consumers everywhere they are, and Xbox Music is going to execute on an important part of that vision.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mehdi says the excitement around Xbox and music is just beginning. The team is excited to bring a “whole new world of interactivity” to things like movies, television, games and music.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Music is a deeply, emotionally connected topic for people everywhere — people’s memories and special moments are always associated with music,” Mehdi says. “It’s a powerful area because of that, and I’m excited that we’re going to be able to bring that to life in our product.”&lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:Content>
      <sxp:Summary xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Xbox Music is Microsoft’s brand new all-in-one music service that enables users to listen to music how, when, where and on what device they want. It is included in a rolling update to Xbox LIVE that starts Tuesday and will be expanded when Windows 8 launches.</sxp:Summary>
      <sxp:MobileTitle xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Meet Xbox Music, Microsoft’s New All-in-One Music Service</sxp:MobileTitle>
      <sxp:MobileContent xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash.&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;— &lt;b&gt;Oct. 14, 2012&lt;/b&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;— If music makes the people come together, as Madonna says, the new Xbox Music gives people all the music they love, every way they want it. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Xbox Music, Microsoft’s new all-in-one music service, specially designed to let users listen to music in exactly the way they want, begins rolling out to millions of people around the world Oct. 16 on the Xbox 360, then to the masses with Windows 8 on Oct. 26. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The all-in-one music service combines the best aspects of free-streaming radio, music subscription services and music purchasing options, all in one elegant package, says Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business Marketing and Strategy. No longer do people have to rely on “service hopping” to get the music they love.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For example, Mehdi explains, here’s a not-that-outlandish scenario for a music lover today: you’re listening to an Internet radio station at work, say Pandora, and you hear a new song you love. You quickly stop what you’re doing and bookmark the song before it stops playing. Later, in the car, you open Pandora to look up the name of the bookmarked song, then you open Spotify so you can use your subscription to listen to it again. Two weeks later, you’re thoroughly in love with the song, and decide you want to buy it so you can burn it to a mix CD you’re making a friend, so you purchase the MP3 on Amazon or iTunes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14All_Page.jpg" alt="Music Your Way" width="300" height="169" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Music Your Way&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 12, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Xbox all-in-one music service enables users to listen to music how, when, where and on what device they want.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14All_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14All_Print.jpg"&gt;Print&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“There are a lot of individual services that do a good job, but today there isn’t a service which can pull together the benefits of download-to-own, music subscription, or free streaming services,” Mehdi says. “With Xbox Music, what we wanted to do is bring all of that value in one simple, easy-to-use service, then build some additional value on top — make it really beautiful, and have it work across all of your devices.  We’ve been able to simplify the music experience in a really powerful way.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mehdi says Xbox Music will have arguably the largest music catalog of all music services, with 30 million songs, and that the experience offers a fantastic way of discovering new music.  He says Xbox Music also will be the only all-in-one music service that enables users to listen to music in whatever way — and on whatever device — they choose.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I’m excited as a consumer because I myself am a big music fan and this really will replace all of those other services I’ve been using,” Mehdi says. “From a business perspective, Xbox Music is a great way to show the world what Xbox means for broader entertainment on their phone, tablet, PC or console.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With Xbox Music, users can listen to individual songs or full albums for free on their Windows 8-based tablet and PC; create music mixes and playlists; create artist-based Internet radio stations; use Smart DJ to create playlists with unlimited skipping; and purchase the music they want to own. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We’re going to power what we feel is going to be the best music experience for users of Windows 8, and it’s the only operating system on a tablet that can do free streaming because of the rights we’ve secured,” Mehdi says. “It’s a great reason to buy Windows 8.” Xbox Music also has options for those who want to integrate their personal music library into their “digital music life,” says Scott Porter, principal program manager for Xbox Music. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And, because Xbox Music is a cloud-based service, users can take those carefully curated playlists, their favorite artists, and their streaming stations anywhere, and play them on any device.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14Porter_Page.jpg" alt="Scott Porter" width="300" height="215" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Scott Porter&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 13, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Scott Porter is principal program manager for Microsoft’s Xbox Music.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14Porter_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-14Porter_Print.jpg"&gt;Print&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I think what we’ve seen over the past several years is that discovering, managing and consuming music has gotten to be hard work,” Porter says. “Our aspirations for Xbox Music are big — to address the multiple ways that people are listening to music, then put those all in one easy-to-use and beautifully curated place.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Current music services let users discover new music based on artists they already like for free, and listen to unlimited music of their choice with a subscription, and even buy the songs they choose, but no one music service has incorporated all of those options until now, Porter says.  &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition, until now, it’s been complicated for users to incorporate their personal collection of MP3s or ripped CDs and have access to all of that music on any device, anywhere they go. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Xbox Music, which comes pre-installed and is the default music player for the new Windows 8 operating system, will feature free, ad-supported streaming of the entire catalog on PCs and tablets as long as users have an Internet connection. Users can also make playlists, discover new music, and purchase and download music. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Purchasing an Xbox Music Pass for US$9.99 a month will allow users to take that music to the cloud, letting them enjoy the collection they’ve curated on other devices such as Windows Phone 8 and Xbox 360. “All they’ll need to do is sign in, and they’ll instantly have all of their content on that device, including access to the playlists they’ve built,” Porter says. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Xbox Music app will even eventually be available on platforms such as Android and iOS as well, he says.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“When creating Xbox Music, we started off with a simple principle — music should never be work. That’s why we’ve put it all together to create, basically, a one-stop-shop,” Porter says. “It’s a really nice marriage between unlimited listening, the cloud and your personal collection. We hope users out there will see that we’ve put together the world’s entire catalog that they can easily integrate with what they already own — they can very quickly simplify their digital music life.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Microsoft’s overarching goal, he explains, is to make it easier for people to discover new music, to take it with them and to listen to it wherever (and with whatever) they want.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Consumers demand a lot of flexibility in finding, managing and listening to their music across devices, and we’re focused on simplifying that,” Porter says. “Microsoft and its Interactive Entertainment Business want to bring music, video, games and entertainment to consumers everywhere they are, and Xbox Music is going to execute on an important part of that vision.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mehdi says the excitement around Xbox and music is just beginning. The team is excited to bring a “whole new world of interactivity” to things like movies, television, games and music.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Music is a deeply, emotionally connected topic for people everywhere — people’s memories and special moments are always associated with music,” Mehdi says. “It’s a powerful area because of that, and I’m excited that we’re going to be able to bring that to life in our product.”&lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:MobileContent>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Consumer</sxp:Tag>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Yusuf Mehdi</sxp:Tag>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Xbox</sxp:Tag>
      <sxpMd:IndividualCustomerSegment xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Consumer</sxpMd:IndividualCustomerSegment>
      <sxpMd:Executives xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Yusuf Mehdi</sxpMd:Executives>
      <sxpMd:Product xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Xbox</sxpMd:Product>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Choice Computing: Pick the Windows 8 PC That’s Right for You</title>
      <description>
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 12, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt; With the launch of Windows 8 rapidly approaching, a new wave of tablets, convertibles, hybrids, notebooks, Ultrabooks and all-in-one PCs are set to hit the shelves later this month. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starting today, customers can reserve their copy of Windows 8 Pro and start preordering Windows 8 PCS. Get more info &lt;a href="/en-us/news/redirects/Win8.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;here&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From small and slim tablets to big and beautiful all-in-ones, the new capabilities in Windows 8 have opened the door for a huge array of new and reimagined devices, says Nick Parker, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s OEM Division. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Windows 8 gives Microsoft and our partners the opportunity to think differently and creatively about hardware design with new materials, hinges, touch panels and edgeless displays,” Parker says. “The approach to hardware design and breadth of innovation across all types of PCs results in an incredible amount of choice for customers.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Microsoft’s OEM partners have been heads down building more than 800 different devices that are now certified for Windows 8 and Windows RT. “With the new wave of innovation we’re seeing around Windows 8, whatever your needs are, there’s a PC that delivers,” Parker says.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;The Tablet Takeover&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/cta/Win8_CTA_Page.jpg" width="300" height="250" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get ready for an explosion of tablets, Parker says. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For anyone on-the-go and far from a desk, tablet PCs provide a comfortable, versatile and convenient computing experience. Support for multitouch is already giving Windows 8-based tablets a big boost, and Parker expects more to come to market after launch.  &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We’ve already seen how popular tablets can be with consumers, and virtually every major manufacturer is coming to market with an offering, at a range of price points,” he says.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While consumers are looking for the convenience and flexibility of tablets such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=DE64F0F8DE426AB764C28913F8C5703405986D3F"&gt;&lt;u&gt;ASUS Vivo Tab RT&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, major OEMs are also designing tablet PCs with specific features to suit enterprise scenarios. Hospitals, for example, may want to check out &lt;a href="http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2012/09/19/built-for-business-dell-unveils-new-latitude-10-tablet-latitude-6430u-ultrabook-and-optiplex-9010-aio-desktop-with-touch.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Dell’s Latitude 10 Tablet&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which features fingerprint capabilities and a smart card reader for heightened security in dealing with confidential records. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Convertibles and Hybrids: The Best of Both Worlds &lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Touch is a convenient way to interact with a PC, and there are also times when people want the speed of a keyboard and the precision of a mouse. Students might want tablet functionality to tote to the classroom and a keyboard for late nights writing term papers. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With new convertible PCs such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=1A9253426F7E4EA4690F5D53ECDB8C7013D874F3"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and hybrids such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=1CE16561FEE1118F59CE0538C632CA62C9988F6C"&gt;&lt;u&gt;HP Envy x2&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, users don’t need to make an either/or decision. Both feature a traditional clamshell laptop design plus a touch screen that separates from the keyboard and transforms into a tablet. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;All-in-Ones: Do It All on the Desktop&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even the world of desktop computing is getting a makeover with Windows 8. All-in-ones such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=76EDAEB8FD834C18E319F6368FEC4FBBEE1A4162"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Acer Aspire 7600U&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; feature large, touch-sensitive displays that can either detach from the desktop station or rotate to lay flat – perfect for playing a game around the dining room table, redesigning that interior living space, or planning a family vacation. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cool factor kicks up another notch with multipurpose all-in-ones such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=52DD9194F4448181C715EEECF3AD0E62A976F226"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Sony VAIO L Series&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; that feature the X-Reality processing engine found inside BRAVIA TVs. Select models offer latest-generation 'glasses-free' 3D technology, turning your office PC into a cutting-edge entertainment device.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Notebooks and &lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Ultrabooks&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite all the change that touch-based navigation is bringing to the PC world, the everyday laptop remains a dependable workhorse. For anyone who needs to combine portability with power to compose and create using traditional keyboard and mouse input, today’s notebooks and super-slim Ultrabook computers still offer a premium PC experience. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, an executive or sales person who travels frequently — or anyone who likes to travel light — may opt for a new “Ultrabook” form factor, such as the sleek new &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=5EA5FAB4B57A679CC74BB2958250DDCBFE83CFD6"&gt;&lt;u&gt;HP Envy &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;TouchSmart&lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt; &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;Ultrabook&lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt; 4&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; or the razor-thin &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=5FD91A9D9CAE45D8ACCE34216D0AC9E13D25AFB9"&gt;&lt;u&gt;ASUS &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;Zenbook&lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt; PRIME UX21A with touch&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We are excited about the amazing new PCs for Windows 8 coming to market and think customers will be delighted,” Parker says.&lt;/p&gt;
      </description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">2BE37BAB45C4E4C7697EF9AD62CD392DA6F69BE9</guid>
      <link>http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/oct12/10-12Windows8PCs.aspx</link>
      <category>Consumer</category>
      <category>Windows 8</category>
      <sxp:ChannelId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">NewsCenter</sxp:ChannelId>
      <sxp:FeedId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">FeatureStories</sxp:FeedId>
      <sxp:PublishId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">995293</sxp:PublishId>
      <sxp:AssetId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">2BE37BAB45C4E4C7697EF9AD62CD392DA6F69BE9</sxp:AssetId>
      <sxp:Author xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Comments xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:ContentType xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Copyright xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Url xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Type xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Length xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">0</sxp:Enclosure_Length>
      <sxp:ExpirationDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:GoLiveDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:32:34 GMT</sxp:GoLiveDate>
      <sxp:IncludeInRiver xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IncludeInRiver>
      <sxp:IsFeatured xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">False</sxp:IsFeatured>
      <sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned>
      <sxp:LastUpdated xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:33:00 GMT</sxp:LastUpdated>
      <sxp:Link xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/oct12/10-12Windows8PCs.aspx</sxp:Link>
      <sxp:PublishDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:00:00 GMT</sxp:PublishDate>
      <sxp:RelativeTime xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">3 days ago</sxp:RelativeTime>
      <sxp:SortOrder xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:SourceName xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Title xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Choice Computing: Pick the Windows 8 PC That’s Right for You</sxp:Title>
      <sxp:Content xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 12, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt; With the launch of Windows 8 rapidly approaching, a new wave of tablets, convertibles, hybrids, notebooks, Ultrabooks and all-in-one PCs are set to hit the shelves later this month. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starting today, customers can reserve their copy of Windows 8 Pro and start preordering Windows 8 PCS. Get more info &lt;a href="/en-us/news/redirects/Win8.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;here&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From small and slim tablets to big and beautiful all-in-ones, the new capabilities in Windows 8 have opened the door for a huge array of new and reimagined devices, says Nick Parker, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s OEM Division. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Windows 8 gives Microsoft and our partners the opportunity to think differently and creatively about hardware design with new materials, hinges, touch panels and edgeless displays,” Parker says. “The approach to hardware design and breadth of innovation across all types of PCs results in an incredible amount of choice for customers.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Microsoft’s OEM partners have been heads down building more than 800 different devices that are now certified for Windows 8 and Windows RT. “With the new wave of innovation we’re seeing around Windows 8, whatever your needs are, there’s a PC that delivers,” Parker says.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;The Tablet Takeover&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/cta/Win8_CTA_Page.jpg" width="300" height="250" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get ready for an explosion of tablets, Parker says. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For anyone on-the-go and far from a desk, tablet PCs provide a comfortable, versatile and convenient computing experience. Support for multitouch is already giving Windows 8-based tablets a big boost, and Parker expects more to come to market after launch.  &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We’ve already seen how popular tablets can be with consumers, and virtually every major manufacturer is coming to market with an offering, at a range of price points,” he says.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While consumers are looking for the convenience and flexibility of tablets such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=DE64F0F8DE426AB764C28913F8C5703405986D3F"&gt;&lt;u&gt;ASUS Vivo Tab RT&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, major OEMs are also designing tablet PCs with specific features to suit enterprise scenarios. Hospitals, for example, may want to check out &lt;a href="http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2012/09/19/built-for-business-dell-unveils-new-latitude-10-tablet-latitude-6430u-ultrabook-and-optiplex-9010-aio-desktop-with-touch.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Dell’s Latitude 10 Tablet&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which features fingerprint capabilities and a smart card reader for heightened security in dealing with confidential records. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Convertibles and Hybrids: The Best of Both Worlds &lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Touch is a convenient way to interact with a PC, and there are also times when people want the speed of a keyboard and the precision of a mouse. Students might want tablet functionality to tote to the classroom and a keyboard for late nights writing term papers. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With new convertible PCs such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=1A9253426F7E4EA4690F5D53ECDB8C7013D874F3"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and hybrids such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=1CE16561FEE1118F59CE0538C632CA62C9988F6C"&gt;&lt;u&gt;HP Envy x2&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, users don’t need to make an either/or decision. Both feature a traditional clamshell laptop design plus a touch screen that separates from the keyboard and transforms into a tablet. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;All-in-Ones: Do It All on the Desktop&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even the world of desktop computing is getting a makeover with Windows 8. All-in-ones such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=76EDAEB8FD834C18E319F6368FEC4FBBEE1A4162"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Acer Aspire 7600U&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; feature large, touch-sensitive displays that can either detach from the desktop station or rotate to lay flat – perfect for playing a game around the dining room table, redesigning that interior living space, or planning a family vacation. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cool factor kicks up another notch with multipurpose all-in-ones such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=52DD9194F4448181C715EEECF3AD0E62A976F226"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Sony VAIO L Series&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; that feature the X-Reality processing engine found inside BRAVIA TVs. Select models offer latest-generation 'glasses-free' 3D technology, turning your office PC into a cutting-edge entertainment device.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Notebooks and &lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Ultrabooks&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite all the change that touch-based navigation is bringing to the PC world, the everyday laptop remains a dependable workhorse. For anyone who needs to combine portability with power to compose and create using traditional keyboard and mouse input, today’s notebooks and super-slim Ultrabook computers still offer a premium PC experience. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, an executive or sales person who travels frequently — or anyone who likes to travel light — may opt for a new “Ultrabook” form factor, such as the sleek new &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=5EA5FAB4B57A679CC74BB2958250DDCBFE83CFD6"&gt;&lt;u&gt;HP Envy &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;TouchSmart&lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt; &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;Ultrabook&lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt; 4&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; or the razor-thin &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=5FD91A9D9CAE45D8ACCE34216D0AC9E13D25AFB9"&gt;&lt;u&gt;ASUS &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;Zenbook&lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt; PRIME UX21A with touch&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We are excited about the amazing new PCs for Windows 8 coming to market and think customers will be delighted,” Parker says.&lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:Content>
      <sxp:Summary xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Microsoft’s hardware partners are about to unleash a wave of new Windows 8 devices in all shapes and sizes. For consumers and businesses, that breadth offers the chance to find just the right PC no matter their needs. </sxp:Summary>
      <sxp:MobileTitle xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Choice Computing: Pick the Windows 8 PC That’s Right for You</sxp:MobileTitle>
      <sxp:MobileContent xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 12, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt; With the launch of Windows 8 rapidly approaching, a new wave of tablets, convertibles, hybrids, notebooks, Ultrabooks and all-in-one PCs are set to hit the shelves later this month. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starting today, customers can reserve their copy of Windows 8 Pro and start preordering Windows 8 PCS. Get more info &lt;a href="/en-us/news/redirects/Win8.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;here&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From small and slim tablets to big and beautiful all-in-ones, the new capabilities in Windows 8 have opened the door for a huge array of new and reimagined devices, says Nick Parker, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s OEM Division. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Windows 8 gives Microsoft and our partners the opportunity to think differently and creatively about hardware design with new materials, hinges, touch panels and edgeless displays,” Parker says. “The approach to hardware design and breadth of innovation across all types of PCs results in an incredible amount of choice for customers.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Microsoft’s OEM partners have been heads down building more than 800 different devices that are now certified for Windows 8 and Windows RT. “With the new wave of innovation we’re seeing around Windows 8, whatever your needs are, there’s a PC that delivers,” Parker says.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;The Tablet Takeover&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/cta/Win8_CTA_Page.jpg" width="300" height="250" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get ready for an explosion of tablets, Parker says. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For anyone on-the-go and far from a desk, tablet PCs provide a comfortable, versatile and convenient computing experience. Support for multitouch is already giving Windows 8-based tablets a big boost, and Parker expects more to come to market after launch.  &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We’ve already seen how popular tablets can be with consumers, and virtually every major manufacturer is coming to market with an offering, at a range of price points,” he says.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While consumers are looking for the convenience and flexibility of tablets such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=DE64F0F8DE426AB764C28913F8C5703405986D3F"&gt;&lt;u&gt;ASUS Vivo Tab RT&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, major OEMs are also designing tablet PCs with specific features to suit enterprise scenarios. Hospitals, for example, may want to check out &lt;a href="http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2012/09/19/built-for-business-dell-unveils-new-latitude-10-tablet-latitude-6430u-ultrabook-and-optiplex-9010-aio-desktop-with-touch.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Dell’s Latitude 10 Tablet&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which features fingerprint capabilities and a smart card reader for heightened security in dealing with confidential records. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Convertibles and Hybrids: The Best of Both Worlds &lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Touch is a convenient way to interact with a PC, and there are also times when people want the speed of a keyboard and the precision of a mouse. Students might want tablet functionality to tote to the classroom and a keyboard for late nights writing term papers. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With new convertible PCs such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=1A9253426F7E4EA4690F5D53ECDB8C7013D874F3"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and hybrids such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=1CE16561FEE1118F59CE0538C632CA62C9988F6C"&gt;&lt;u&gt;HP Envy x2&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, users don’t need to make an either/or decision. Both feature a traditional clamshell laptop design plus a touch screen that separates from the keyboard and transforms into a tablet. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;All-in-Ones: Do It All on the Desktop&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even the world of desktop computing is getting a makeover with Windows 8. All-in-ones such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=76EDAEB8FD834C18E319F6368FEC4FBBEE1A4162"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Acer Aspire 7600U&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; feature large, touch-sensitive displays that can either detach from the desktop station or rotate to lay flat – perfect for playing a game around the dining room table, redesigning that interior living space, or planning a family vacation. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The cool factor kicks up another notch with multipurpose all-in-ones such as the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=52DD9194F4448181C715EEECF3AD0E62A976F226"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Sony VAIO L Series&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; that feature the X-Reality processing engine found inside BRAVIA TVs. Select models offer latest-generation 'glasses-free' 3D technology, turning your office PC into a cutting-edge entertainment device.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Notebooks and &lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Ultrabooks&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite all the change that touch-based navigation is bringing to the PC world, the everyday laptop remains a dependable workhorse. For anyone who needs to combine portability with power to compose and create using traditional keyboard and mouse input, today’s notebooks and super-slim Ultrabook computers still offer a premium PC experience. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, an executive or sales person who travels frequently — or anyone who likes to travel light — may opt for a new “Ultrabook” form factor, such as the sleek new &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=5EA5FAB4B57A679CC74BB2958250DDCBFE83CFD6"&gt;&lt;u&gt;HP Envy &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;TouchSmart&lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt; &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;Ultrabook&lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt; 4&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; or the razor-thin &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/ImageDetail.aspx?id=5FD91A9D9CAE45D8ACCE34216D0AC9E13D25AFB9"&gt;&lt;u&gt;ASUS &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;Zenbook&lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt; PRIME UX21A with touch&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We are excited about the amazing new PCs for Windows 8 coming to market and think customers will be delighted,” Parker says.&lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:MobileContent>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Consumer</sxp:Tag>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Windows 8</sxp:Tag>
      <sxpMd:IndividualCustomerSegment xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Consumer</sxpMd:IndividualCustomerSegment>
      <sxpMd:Product xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Windows 8</sxpMd:Product>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Artistry of 'Contre Jour' Comes to the Web With Internet Explorer 10</title>
      <description>
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 9, 2012 — &lt;/b&gt;After a busy summer with &lt;a href="http://glimpse-ie.thefind.com/glimpse/catalogs/merchants?cobrand=glimpse_ie"&gt;&lt;u&gt;The Find&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.pulse.me/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Pulse&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.atari.com/arcade"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Atari&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Internet Explorer 10 today brings another well-known gaming experience to the Web in HTML5. The experience immerses users into a game rich with artistry and music, all while main character Petit – the one-eyed creature – seeks to save his love, The Rose. This world is "Contre Jour," which is now available to play online as an interactive multitouch experience on the Web with Internet Explorer 10.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Contre Jour” is not your typical game. Designed by Ukrainian developer Maksym (Max) Hryniv, the game draws many of its visual features, such as the use of black-and-white environment, from modern film noir titles such as “Sin City.” This design aesthetic is at the heart of the game.  When making the decision to bring it to the Web, Hryniv was concerned whether it would really be possible. Assuming he could even build it, would any browser be capable of supporting the rich design, visual features and gameplay that requires multiple simultaneous touch gestures (i.e., multitouch)? After seeing &lt;a href="http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Internet Explorer 10&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, the browser for Windows 8 that is leading the industry in its multitouch capabilities, he was willing to give it a try.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He says, “At the beginning, I thought that HTML5 just isn’t ready for this game; that we’ll have a lot of performance issues and things that are just impossible to implement using HTML5 or support in a browser. The biggest surprise for me was that performance is good, the physics are perfect and everything is just beautiful.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a modern Web browser like Internet Explorer 10, users become enveloped in the overall experience, seemingly allowing the browser to fade away and leaving only what matters: the content. In the case of “Contre Jour,” the user is thrown into the immersive environment of the game. And with the multitouch gameplay, it’s like being part of Petit’s world.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Composing a Visual, Audio and Interactive Masterpiece&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The beauty of “Contre Jour” lies in the full experience — the artful design inspired by Hryniv’s favorite movies and book, a soundtrack by master composer David Ari Leon, and a fast and fluid browser like Internet Explorer 10 that is perfect for touch.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Windows/Ie/ContreJouronIE10_1_Page.jpg" alt="“Contre Jour” on Internet Explorer 10" width="300" height="169" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;“Contre Jour” on Internet Explorer 10&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 08, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Unlock the “Contre Jour” chapters for more gameplay.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Windows/Ie/ContreJouronIE10_1_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From an artistic standpoint, Hryniv partnered with the design team at Mokus Games to shape and design the game and to get the perfect minimal look and feel.  To complement the game’s unique visuals, Hryniv collaborated with Hollywood movie and game composer Leon, a classically trained musician who started his career working with Danny Elfman, composer and collaborator for film director Tim Burton.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leon’s instinctive response was to compose music that matched the dark, quirky style of your typical Burton film since there were similarities with the look of “Contre Jour.” But after playing, he was struck by its whimsical nature. With Hryniv’s feedback, Leon honed his original score from a rich, multi-instrument orchestration to a simple piano solo that complemented the game’s use of black and white.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“The music’s job is to evoke a feeling that enhances the mood of the game, which, in the case of ‘Contre Jour,’ is rather minimalistic,” Leon says. “The composer’s ‘palate’ of instruments is much like a painter’s palate of colors, and paring all of your instrumentation down to a piano solo is a bit like limiting yourself to a pencil sketch.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Windows/Ie/ContreJourIE10_2_Page.jpg" alt="“Contre Jour” Internet Explorer 10 Gameplay" width="300" height="169" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;“Contre Jour” Internet Explorer 10 Gameplay&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 08, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Move Petit through the rope swings to advance to the next level.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Windows/Ie/ContreJourIE10_2_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leon likens “Contre Jour” to an abstract, impressionist painting that bears many of the same magical qualities and the sense of wonder found in “Le Petit Prince” — the popular French children’s book from which Hryniv drew inspiration and after which the main character, Petit, is named . And to help tie everything together, Leon drew inspiration from some of his favorite impressionistic French composers, such as Debussy, Ravel and Satie, whose music he felt was perfectly suited for “Contre Jour.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“There’s a lot of talk among film and TV composers about whether it’s a good idea to do music for games — especially mobile games,” Leon says. “People are spending more and more of their time in the mobile world of small screens, and to be involved in in creating these wonderful, immersive experiences like ‘Contre Jour’ is very exciting.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With Internet Explorer 10, these immersive experiences appear to come to life, making content shine and providing the best experience on the Web. To find out more about how Internet Explorer 10 brought “Contre Jour” to the Web, visit &lt;a href="http://windowsteamblog.com/ie/b/ie"&gt;&lt;u&gt;http://windowsteamblog.com/ie/b/ie&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To step into the world of “Contre Jour,” visit &lt;a href="http://www.contrejour.ie/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;http://www.contrejour.ie&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Web enthusiasts who would like to try it out with Internet Explorer 10 can download the &lt;a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/release-preview"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Windows 8 Release Preview&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Windows 8 with Internet Explorer 10 is scheduled to be commercially available in stores Oct. 26.&lt;/p&gt;
      </description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Oct 2012 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">F87DF2CE0A3C4EC7360D52D249F49DD829682B6C</guid>
      <link>http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/oct12/10-09ContreJour.aspx</link>
      <category>Consumer</category>
      <category>Windows Internet Explorer</category>
      <sxp:ChannelId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">NewsCenter</sxp:ChannelId>
      <sxp:FeedId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">FeatureStories</sxp:FeedId>
      <sxp:PublishId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">976475</sxp:PublishId>
      <sxp:AssetId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">F87DF2CE0A3C4EC7360D52D249F49DD829682B6C</sxp:AssetId>
      <sxp:Author xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Comments xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:ContentType xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Copyright xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Url xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Type xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Length xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">0</sxp:Enclosure_Length>
      <sxp:ExpirationDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:GoLiveDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:21:27 GMT</sxp:GoLiveDate>
      <sxp:IncludeInRiver xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IncludeInRiver>
      <sxp:IsFeatured xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">False</sxp:IsFeatured>
      <sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned>
      <sxp:LastUpdated xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:22:19 GMT</sxp:LastUpdated>
      <sxp:Link xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/oct12/10-09ContreJour.aspx</sxp:Link>
      <sxp:PublishDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Tue, 09 Oct 2012 13:00:00 GMT</sxp:PublishDate>
      <sxp:RelativeTime xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">6 days ago</sxp:RelativeTime>
      <sxp:SortOrder xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:SourceName xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Title xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Artistry of 'Contre Jour' Comes to the Web With Internet Explorer 10</sxp:Title>
      <sxp:Content xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 9, 2012 — &lt;/b&gt;After a busy summer with &lt;a href="http://glimpse-ie.thefind.com/glimpse/catalogs/merchants?cobrand=glimpse_ie"&gt;&lt;u&gt;The Find&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.pulse.me/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Pulse&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.atari.com/arcade"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Atari&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Internet Explorer 10 today brings another well-known gaming experience to the Web in HTML5. The experience immerses users into a game rich with artistry and music, all while main character Petit – the one-eyed creature – seeks to save his love, The Rose. This world is "Contre Jour," which is now available to play online as an interactive multitouch experience on the Web with Internet Explorer 10.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Contre Jour” is not your typical game. Designed by Ukrainian developer Maksym (Max) Hryniv, the game draws many of its visual features, such as the use of black-and-white environment, from modern film noir titles such as “Sin City.” This design aesthetic is at the heart of the game.  When making the decision to bring it to the Web, Hryniv was concerned whether it would really be possible. Assuming he could even build it, would any browser be capable of supporting the rich design, visual features and gameplay that requires multiple simultaneous touch gestures (i.e., multitouch)? After seeing &lt;a href="http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Internet Explorer 10&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, the browser for Windows 8 that is leading the industry in its multitouch capabilities, he was willing to give it a try.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He says, “At the beginning, I thought that HTML5 just isn’t ready for this game; that we’ll have a lot of performance issues and things that are just impossible to implement using HTML5 or support in a browser. The biggest surprise for me was that performance is good, the physics are perfect and everything is just beautiful.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a modern Web browser like Internet Explorer 10, users become enveloped in the overall experience, seemingly allowing the browser to fade away and leaving only what matters: the content. In the case of “Contre Jour,” the user is thrown into the immersive environment of the game. And with the multitouch gameplay, it’s like being part of Petit’s world.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Composing a Visual, Audio and Interactive Masterpiece&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The beauty of “Contre Jour” lies in the full experience — the artful design inspired by Hryniv’s favorite movies and book, a soundtrack by master composer David Ari Leon, and a fast and fluid browser like Internet Explorer 10 that is perfect for touch.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Windows/Ie/ContreJouronIE10_1_Page.jpg" alt="“Contre Jour” on Internet Explorer 10" width="300" height="169" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;“Contre Jour” on Internet Explorer 10&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 08, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Unlock the “Contre Jour” chapters for more gameplay.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Windows/Ie/ContreJouronIE10_1_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From an artistic standpoint, Hryniv partnered with the design team at Mokus Games to shape and design the game and to get the perfect minimal look and feel.  To complement the game’s unique visuals, Hryniv collaborated with Hollywood movie and game composer Leon, a classically trained musician who started his career working with Danny Elfman, composer and collaborator for film director Tim Burton.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leon’s instinctive response was to compose music that matched the dark, quirky style of your typical Burton film since there were similarities with the look of “Contre Jour.” But after playing, he was struck by its whimsical nature. With Hryniv’s feedback, Leon honed his original score from a rich, multi-instrument orchestration to a simple piano solo that complemented the game’s use of black and white.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“The music’s job is to evoke a feeling that enhances the mood of the game, which, in the case of ‘Contre Jour,’ is rather minimalistic,” Leon says. “The composer’s ‘palate’ of instruments is much like a painter’s palate of colors, and paring all of your instrumentation down to a piano solo is a bit like limiting yourself to a pencil sketch.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Windows/Ie/ContreJourIE10_2_Page.jpg" alt="“Contre Jour” Internet Explorer 10 Gameplay" width="300" height="169" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;“Contre Jour” Internet Explorer 10 Gameplay&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 08, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Move Petit through the rope swings to advance to the next level.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Windows/Ie/ContreJourIE10_2_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leon likens “Contre Jour” to an abstract, impressionist painting that bears many of the same magical qualities and the sense of wonder found in “Le Petit Prince” — the popular French children’s book from which Hryniv drew inspiration and after which the main character, Petit, is named . And to help tie everything together, Leon drew inspiration from some of his favorite impressionistic French composers, such as Debussy, Ravel and Satie, whose music he felt was perfectly suited for “Contre Jour.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“There’s a lot of talk among film and TV composers about whether it’s a good idea to do music for games — especially mobile games,” Leon says. “People are spending more and more of their time in the mobile world of small screens, and to be involved in in creating these wonderful, immersive experiences like ‘Contre Jour’ is very exciting.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With Internet Explorer 10, these immersive experiences appear to come to life, making content shine and providing the best experience on the Web. To find out more about how Internet Explorer 10 brought “Contre Jour” to the Web, visit &lt;a href="http://windowsteamblog.com/ie/b/ie"&gt;&lt;u&gt;http://windowsteamblog.com/ie/b/ie&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To step into the world of “Contre Jour,” visit &lt;a href="http://www.contrejour.ie/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;http://www.contrejour.ie&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Web enthusiasts who would like to try it out with Internet Explorer 10 can download the &lt;a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/release-preview"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Windows 8 Release Preview&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Windows 8 with Internet Explorer 10 is scheduled to be commercially available in stores Oct. 26.&lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:Content>
      <sxp:Summary xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Game’s creator brings his vision to life with Internet Explorer’s immersive multitouch capabilities.</sxp:Summary>
      <sxp:MobileTitle xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Artistry of 'Contre Jour' Comes to the Web With Internet Explorer 10</sxp:MobileTitle>
      <sxp:MobileContent xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 9, 2012 — &lt;/b&gt;After a busy summer with &lt;a href="http://glimpse-ie.thefind.com/glimpse/catalogs/merchants?cobrand=glimpse_ie"&gt;&lt;u&gt;The Find&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.pulse.me/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Pulse&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.atari.com/arcade"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Atari&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Internet Explorer 10 today brings another well-known gaming experience to the Web in HTML5. The experience immerses users into a game rich with artistry and music, all while main character Petit – the one-eyed creature – seeks to save his love, The Rose. This world is "Contre Jour," which is now available to play online as an interactive multitouch experience on the Web with Internet Explorer 10.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Contre Jour” is not your typical game. Designed by Ukrainian developer Maksym (Max) Hryniv, the game draws many of its visual features, such as the use of black-and-white environment, from modern film noir titles such as “Sin City.” This design aesthetic is at the heart of the game.  When making the decision to bring it to the Web, Hryniv was concerned whether it would really be possible. Assuming he could even build it, would any browser be capable of supporting the rich design, visual features and gameplay that requires multiple simultaneous touch gestures (i.e., multitouch)? After seeing &lt;a href="http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Internet Explorer 10&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, the browser for Windows 8 that is leading the industry in its multitouch capabilities, he was willing to give it a try.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He says, “At the beginning, I thought that HTML5 just isn’t ready for this game; that we’ll have a lot of performance issues and things that are just impossible to implement using HTML5 or support in a browser. The biggest surprise for me was that performance is good, the physics are perfect and everything is just beautiful.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;i&gt;&lt;/i&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With a modern Web browser like Internet Explorer 10, users become enveloped in the overall experience, seemingly allowing the browser to fade away and leaving only what matters: the content. In the case of “Contre Jour,” the user is thrown into the immersive environment of the game. And with the multitouch gameplay, it’s like being part of Petit’s world.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Composing a Visual, Audio and Interactive Masterpiece&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The beauty of “Contre Jour” lies in the full experience — the artful design inspired by Hryniv’s favorite movies and book, a soundtrack by master composer David Ari Leon, and a fast and fluid browser like Internet Explorer 10 that is perfect for touch.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Windows/Ie/ContreJouronIE10_1_Page.jpg" alt="“Contre Jour” on Internet Explorer 10" width="300" height="169" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;“Contre Jour” on Internet Explorer 10&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 08, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Unlock the “Contre Jour” chapters for more gameplay.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Windows/Ie/ContreJouronIE10_1_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From an artistic standpoint, Hryniv partnered with the design team at Mokus Games to shape and design the game and to get the perfect minimal look and feel.  To complement the game’s unique visuals, Hryniv collaborated with Hollywood movie and game composer Leon, a classically trained musician who started his career working with Danny Elfman, composer and collaborator for film director Tim Burton.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leon’s instinctive response was to compose music that matched the dark, quirky style of your typical Burton film since there were similarities with the look of “Contre Jour.” But after playing, he was struck by its whimsical nature. With Hryniv’s feedback, Leon honed his original score from a rich, multi-instrument orchestration to a simple piano solo that complemented the game’s use of black and white.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“The music’s job is to evoke a feeling that enhances the mood of the game, which, in the case of ‘Contre Jour,’ is rather minimalistic,” Leon says. “The composer’s ‘palate’ of instruments is much like a painter’s palate of colors, and paring all of your instrumentation down to a piano solo is a bit like limiting yourself to a pencil sketch.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Windows/Ie/ContreJourIE10_2_Page.jpg" alt="“Contre Jour” Internet Explorer 10 Gameplay" width="300" height="169" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;“Contre Jour” Internet Explorer 10 Gameplay&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 08, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Move Petit through the rope swings to advance to the next level.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Windows/Ie/ContreJourIE10_2_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leon likens “Contre Jour” to an abstract, impressionist painting that bears many of the same magical qualities and the sense of wonder found in “Le Petit Prince” — the popular French children’s book from which Hryniv drew inspiration and after which the main character, Petit, is named . And to help tie everything together, Leon drew inspiration from some of his favorite impressionistic French composers, such as Debussy, Ravel and Satie, whose music he felt was perfectly suited for “Contre Jour.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“There’s a lot of talk among film and TV composers about whether it’s a good idea to do music for games — especially mobile games,” Leon says. “People are spending more and more of their time in the mobile world of small screens, and to be involved in in creating these wonderful, immersive experiences like ‘Contre Jour’ is very exciting.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With Internet Explorer 10, these immersive experiences appear to come to life, making content shine and providing the best experience on the Web. To find out more about how Internet Explorer 10 brought “Contre Jour” to the Web, visit &lt;a href="http://windowsteamblog.com/ie/b/ie"&gt;&lt;u&gt;http://windowsteamblog.com/ie/b/ie&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To step into the world of “Contre Jour,” visit &lt;a href="http://www.contrejour.ie/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;http://www.contrejour.ie&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Web enthusiasts who would like to try it out with Internet Explorer 10 can download the &lt;a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/release-preview"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Windows 8 Release Preview&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Windows 8 with Internet Explorer 10 is scheduled to be commercially available in stores Oct. 26.&lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:MobileContent>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Consumer</sxp:Tag>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Windows Internet Explorer</sxp:Tag>
      <sxpMd:IndividualCustomerSegment xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Consumer</sxpMd:IndividualCustomerSegment>
      <sxpMd:Product xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Windows Internet Explorer</sxpMd:Product>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Microsoft Helps W3C Create Single Site for Web Standards</title>
      <description>
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 8, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt; Web innovations are emerging at a relentless pace, and Web developers face the daily challenge of finding the accurate information needed to build great websites that work across the gamut of browsers and devices. Too often, their quest can feel like a wild goose chase.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They search numerous online resources, grapple with conflicting information, and cobble together what they hope is all the information they need on the technology or specification. In the worst case, the information they get is incomplete, dated or inaccurate.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Robby Ingebretsen, creative director at &lt;a href="http://thinkpixellab.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Pixel Lab&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, built a mouse-over animation, he tested it on a number of browsers to make sure it worked. However, it didn’t work for his client. It turned out that the client was using a different version of the same browser, and this version didn’t support the little-used CSS property that the animation relied on. The browser documentation Ingebretsen checked indicated that the property worked, but it didn’t indicate on which version. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“The result was that we had to create a new effect altogether. I lost several days of work over this,” says Ingebretsen.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Web developers are often unsure of where to find a trustworthy source for information about the real-world status of the Web specifications they rely on to write maintainable code and build sites that showcase their talents.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I want to know what I can use today, but I also want to get a sense of where things are going and what I’ll be able to do tomorrow,” says Ingebretsen.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-05WebPlatformDocs_Page.jpg" alt="Web Platform Docs" width="300" height="147" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Web Platform Docs&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 07, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Developers will have an easier time optimizing for multiple browsers with Web Platform Docs, a central repository of standards and best practices.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-05WebPlatformDocs_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ensuring cross-browser compatibility is another challenge. Erik Klimczak, creative director at &lt;a href="http://www.claritycon.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Clarity Consulting&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, had been using a common trick to make an image uniformly scale, but found out it didn’t work on a particular browser. After hours of searching for a solution and coming up empty-handed, he finally contacted the browser’s engineering team for the answer.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The undocumented solution was an arcane property setting. “The problem was I had no idea that this existed,” says Klimczak. He adds that finding “simplified, reliable shorthand methods” would considerably speed up the writing of code.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Developers are frustrated by the current lack of best practices and documented shorthand ways of satisfying cross-browser compatibility.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Enter &lt;a href="http://docs.webplatform.org/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Web Platform Docs&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a new centralized community resource for Web developers who use HTML5, CSS and other open Web standards to build websites. Web Platform Docs is the culmination of collaboration among the &lt;a href="http://www.w3.org/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;World Wide Web Consortium&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (W3C), Microsoft and other technology companies, including browser-makers Mozilla, Google and Opera, as well as Nokia, HP, Adobe and Facebook. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The site serves as a central repository that provides Web developers with accurate and timely information on the technologies and standards that are crucial to their work. Most importantly, the documentation on Web Platform Docs is comprehensive. It includes information about a browser’s implementation of different Web technologies and best practices on a given feature’s interoperability. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitors to the site will find published content from the founding organizations, including more than 3,200 topics from the &lt;a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/ms348103.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft Developer Network&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;; a sample library that takes into account real-world scenarios; and tutorials that provide guidance on how to use new and existing technologies.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“With Web Platform Docs, we now have a central place where we can learn what the standard is, when we can use that particular feature, and the right way to use it,” says &lt;a href="http://blog.reybango.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Rey &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;Bango&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Windows technical evangelist at Microsoft. “That’s important to me, and it’s important to Web developers. They want to take advantage of the cool stuff — the toys — and they want to do it responsibly. This site gives them that capability.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-05wplogo_Page.jpg" alt="Web Platform Docs Logo" width="150" height="158" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Web Platform Docs Logo&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 07, 2012&lt;br /&gt;The Web Platform Docs site provides accurate and timely information on the technologies and standards crucial to developers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-05wplogo_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The site also aims to provide up-to-date information on the stability and implementation status of a given feature or technology. This means that if something has yet to be tested for security, developers are made aware of its status. This allows them to make educated decisions on when to embrace specific standards-based features and plan for the future.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I especially appreciate that the site allows the community to see the status of a specific technology,” says Bango. “Being able to understand when a feature is fully baked and how it is properly implemented is crucial. When Web developers know how to leverage a technology the right way, and when they can do so responsibly, they can really add innovation based on cool new features that are coming out. If new features aren’t ready to go, they can start planning for them. By doing that, they provide a feature set that really makes consumers happy.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Microsoft’s commitment to interoperability prompted its involvement in this collaborative effort. One goal is to ensure that the Web development community has the best resources needed for working with Internet Explorer, Windows Azure and Windows Phone, among other Microsoft technologies.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The wiki format of Web Platform Docs allows the developer community to maintain and improve the content as the open Web platform evolves, with W3C acting as administrator.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I know that when I go to this site, some of the best minds in the world are vetting the documentation and providing clarity on how and when to use a feature,” says Bango. “It’s a testament to the reliability of what I’m reading. That gives me a great perspective. I can make a good, educated decision.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With all the information they need located at a single site, developers can now spend their time doing what they do best and really light up the Web.&lt;/p&gt;
      </description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:30:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">FFF40728C067CF6FB50BE98126A895B8B558D56A</guid>
      <link>http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/oct12/10-08WebPlatformDocs.aspx</link>
      <category>Developers</category>
      <sxp:ChannelId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">NewsCenter</sxp:ChannelId>
      <sxp:FeedId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">FeatureStories</sxp:FeedId>
      <sxp:PublishId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">971269</sxp:PublishId>
      <sxp:AssetId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">FFF40728C067CF6FB50BE98126A895B8B558D56A</sxp:AssetId>
      <sxp:Author xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Comments xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:ContentType xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Copyright xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Url xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Type xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Length xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">0</sxp:Enclosure_Length>
      <sxp:ExpirationDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:GoLiveDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:49:59 GMT</sxp:GoLiveDate>
      <sxp:IncludeInRiver xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IncludeInRiver>
      <sxp:IsFeatured xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">False</sxp:IsFeatured>
      <sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned>
      <sxp:LastUpdated xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:50:14 GMT</sxp:LastUpdated>
      <sxp:Link xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/oct12/10-08WebPlatformDocs.aspx</sxp:Link>
      <sxp:PublishDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:30:00 GMT</sxp:PublishDate>
      <sxp:RelativeTime xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">7 days ago</sxp:RelativeTime>
      <sxp:SortOrder xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:SourceName xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Title xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Microsoft Helps W3C Create Single Site for Web Standards</sxp:Title>
      <sxp:Content xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 8, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt; Web innovations are emerging at a relentless pace, and Web developers face the daily challenge of finding the accurate information needed to build great websites that work across the gamut of browsers and devices. Too often, their quest can feel like a wild goose chase.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They search numerous online resources, grapple with conflicting information, and cobble together what they hope is all the information they need on the technology or specification. In the worst case, the information they get is incomplete, dated or inaccurate.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Robby Ingebretsen, creative director at &lt;a href="http://thinkpixellab.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Pixel Lab&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, built a mouse-over animation, he tested it on a number of browsers to make sure it worked. However, it didn’t work for his client. It turned out that the client was using a different version of the same browser, and this version didn’t support the little-used CSS property that the animation relied on. The browser documentation Ingebretsen checked indicated that the property worked, but it didn’t indicate on which version. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“The result was that we had to create a new effect altogether. I lost several days of work over this,” says Ingebretsen.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Web developers are often unsure of where to find a trustworthy source for information about the real-world status of the Web specifications they rely on to write maintainable code and build sites that showcase their talents.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I want to know what I can use today, but I also want to get a sense of where things are going and what I’ll be able to do tomorrow,” says Ingebretsen.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-05WebPlatformDocs_Page.jpg" alt="Web Platform Docs" width="300" height="147" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Web Platform Docs&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 07, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Developers will have an easier time optimizing for multiple browsers with Web Platform Docs, a central repository of standards and best practices.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-05WebPlatformDocs_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ensuring cross-browser compatibility is another challenge. Erik Klimczak, creative director at &lt;a href="http://www.claritycon.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Clarity Consulting&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, had been using a common trick to make an image uniformly scale, but found out it didn’t work on a particular browser. After hours of searching for a solution and coming up empty-handed, he finally contacted the browser’s engineering team for the answer.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The undocumented solution was an arcane property setting. “The problem was I had no idea that this existed,” says Klimczak. He adds that finding “simplified, reliable shorthand methods” would considerably speed up the writing of code.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Developers are frustrated by the current lack of best practices and documented shorthand ways of satisfying cross-browser compatibility.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Enter &lt;a href="http://docs.webplatform.org/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Web Platform Docs&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a new centralized community resource for Web developers who use HTML5, CSS and other open Web standards to build websites. Web Platform Docs is the culmination of collaboration among the &lt;a href="http://www.w3.org/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;World Wide Web Consortium&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (W3C), Microsoft and other technology companies, including browser-makers Mozilla, Google and Opera, as well as Nokia, HP, Adobe and Facebook. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The site serves as a central repository that provides Web developers with accurate and timely information on the technologies and standards that are crucial to their work. Most importantly, the documentation on Web Platform Docs is comprehensive. It includes information about a browser’s implementation of different Web technologies and best practices on a given feature’s interoperability. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitors to the site will find published content from the founding organizations, including more than 3,200 topics from the &lt;a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/ms348103.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft Developer Network&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;; a sample library that takes into account real-world scenarios; and tutorials that provide guidance on how to use new and existing technologies.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“With Web Platform Docs, we now have a central place where we can learn what the standard is, when we can use that particular feature, and the right way to use it,” says &lt;a href="http://blog.reybango.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Rey &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;Bango&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Windows technical evangelist at Microsoft. “That’s important to me, and it’s important to Web developers. They want to take advantage of the cool stuff — the toys — and they want to do it responsibly. This site gives them that capability.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-05wplogo_Page.jpg" alt="Web Platform Docs Logo" width="150" height="158" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Web Platform Docs Logo&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 07, 2012&lt;br /&gt;The Web Platform Docs site provides accurate and timely information on the technologies and standards crucial to developers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-05wplogo_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The site also aims to provide up-to-date information on the stability and implementation status of a given feature or technology. This means that if something has yet to be tested for security, developers are made aware of its status. This allows them to make educated decisions on when to embrace specific standards-based features and plan for the future.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I especially appreciate that the site allows the community to see the status of a specific technology,” says Bango. “Being able to understand when a feature is fully baked and how it is properly implemented is crucial. When Web developers know how to leverage a technology the right way, and when they can do so responsibly, they can really add innovation based on cool new features that are coming out. If new features aren’t ready to go, they can start planning for them. By doing that, they provide a feature set that really makes consumers happy.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Microsoft’s commitment to interoperability prompted its involvement in this collaborative effort. One goal is to ensure that the Web development community has the best resources needed for working with Internet Explorer, Windows Azure and Windows Phone, among other Microsoft technologies.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The wiki format of Web Platform Docs allows the developer community to maintain and improve the content as the open Web platform evolves, with W3C acting as administrator.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I know that when I go to this site, some of the best minds in the world are vetting the documentation and providing clarity on how and when to use a feature,” says Bango. “It’s a testament to the reliability of what I’m reading. That gives me a great perspective. I can make a good, educated decision.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With all the information they need located at a single site, developers can now spend their time doing what they do best and really light up the Web.&lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:Content>
      <sxp:Summary xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">A new community-driven site provides a comprehensive and authoritative source for Web developer documentation.</sxp:Summary>
      <sxp:MobileTitle xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Microsoft Helps W3C Create Single Site for Web Standards</sxp:MobileTitle>
      <sxp:MobileContent xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 8, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt; Web innovations are emerging at a relentless pace, and Web developers face the daily challenge of finding the accurate information needed to build great websites that work across the gamut of browsers and devices. Too often, their quest can feel like a wild goose chase.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They search numerous online resources, grapple with conflicting information, and cobble together what they hope is all the information they need on the technology or specification. In the worst case, the information they get is incomplete, dated or inaccurate.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Robby Ingebretsen, creative director at &lt;a href="http://thinkpixellab.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Pixel Lab&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, built a mouse-over animation, he tested it on a number of browsers to make sure it worked. However, it didn’t work for his client. It turned out that the client was using a different version of the same browser, and this version didn’t support the little-used CSS property that the animation relied on. The browser documentation Ingebretsen checked indicated that the property worked, but it didn’t indicate on which version. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“The result was that we had to create a new effect altogether. I lost several days of work over this,” says Ingebretsen.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Web developers are often unsure of where to find a trustworthy source for information about the real-world status of the Web specifications they rely on to write maintainable code and build sites that showcase their talents.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I want to know what I can use today, but I also want to get a sense of where things are going and what I’ll be able to do tomorrow,” says Ingebretsen.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-05WebPlatformDocs_Page.jpg" alt="Web Platform Docs" width="300" height="147" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Web Platform Docs&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 07, 2012&lt;br /&gt;Developers will have an easier time optimizing for multiple browsers with Web Platform Docs, a central repository of standards and best practices.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-05WebPlatformDocs_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ensuring cross-browser compatibility is another challenge. Erik Klimczak, creative director at &lt;a href="http://www.claritycon.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Clarity Consulting&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, had been using a common trick to make an image uniformly scale, but found out it didn’t work on a particular browser. After hours of searching for a solution and coming up empty-handed, he finally contacted the browser’s engineering team for the answer.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The undocumented solution was an arcane property setting. “The problem was I had no idea that this existed,” says Klimczak. He adds that finding “simplified, reliable shorthand methods” would considerably speed up the writing of code.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Developers are frustrated by the current lack of best practices and documented shorthand ways of satisfying cross-browser compatibility.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Enter &lt;a href="http://docs.webplatform.org/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Web Platform Docs&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a new centralized community resource for Web developers who use HTML5, CSS and other open Web standards to build websites. Web Platform Docs is the culmination of collaboration among the &lt;a href="http://www.w3.org/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;World Wide Web Consortium&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (W3C), Microsoft and other technology companies, including browser-makers Mozilla, Google and Opera, as well as Nokia, HP, Adobe and Facebook. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The site serves as a central repository that provides Web developers with accurate and timely information on the technologies and standards that are crucial to their work. Most importantly, the documentation on Web Platform Docs is comprehensive. It includes information about a browser’s implementation of different Web technologies and best practices on a given feature’s interoperability. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visitors to the site will find published content from the founding organizations, including more than 3,200 topics from the &lt;a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/ms348103.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft Developer Network&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;; a sample library that takes into account real-world scenarios; and tutorials that provide guidance on how to use new and existing technologies.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“With Web Platform Docs, we now have a central place where we can learn what the standard is, when we can use that particular feature, and the right way to use it,” says &lt;a href="http://blog.reybango.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Rey &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;Bango&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Windows technical evangelist at Microsoft. “That’s important to me, and it’s important to Web developers. They want to take advantage of the cool stuff — the toys — and they want to do it responsibly. This site gives them that capability.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-05wplogo_Page.jpg" alt="Web Platform Docs Logo" width="150" height="158" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Web Platform Docs Logo&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;October 07, 2012&lt;br /&gt;The Web Platform Docs site provides accurate and timely information on the technologies and standards crucial to developers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/features/2012/10-05wplogo_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The site also aims to provide up-to-date information on the stability and implementation status of a given feature or technology. This means that if something has yet to be tested for security, developers are made aware of its status. This allows them to make educated decisions on when to embrace specific standards-based features and plan for the future.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I especially appreciate that the site allows the community to see the status of a specific technology,” says Bango. “Being able to understand when a feature is fully baked and how it is properly implemented is crucial. When Web developers know how to leverage a technology the right way, and when they can do so responsibly, they can really add innovation based on cool new features that are coming out. If new features aren’t ready to go, they can start planning for them. By doing that, they provide a feature set that really makes consumers happy.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Microsoft’s commitment to interoperability prompted its involvement in this collaborative effort. One goal is to ensure that the Web development community has the best resources needed for working with Internet Explorer, Windows Azure and Windows Phone, among other Microsoft technologies.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The wiki format of Web Platform Docs allows the developer community to maintain and improve the content as the open Web platform evolves, with W3C acting as administrator.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I know that when I go to this site, some of the best minds in the world are vetting the documentation and providing clarity on how and when to use a feature,” says Bango. “It’s a testament to the reliability of what I’m reading. That gives me a great perspective. I can make a good, educated decision.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With all the information they need located at a single site, developers can now spend their time doing what they do best and really light up the Web.&lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:MobileContent>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Developers</sxp:Tag>
      <sxpMd:IndividualCustomerSegment xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Developers</sxpMd:IndividualCustomerSegment>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Microsoft Expands New England Campus, Unveils State-of-the-Art Tech Center</title>
      <description>
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Sept. 27, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt; Microsoft Corp. announced the expansion of its New England campus in Cambridge, Mass., including a new, state-of-the-art Microsoft Technology Center (MTC), during an event featuring Governor Deval L. Patrick, Cambridge Mayor Henrietta Davis, Microsoft Northeast General Manager Craig Hodges, partners, customers and employees.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Located at One Cambridge Center in Kendall Square, the growing campus will allow industry leaders and technology experts to work together to envision, architect and demonstrate secure, customized solutions based on both Microsoft and partner technologies. Microsoft has more than 3,000 partners in Massachusetts.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The campus, located just blocks from another state-of-the-art Microsoft facility, the New England Research and Development Center (NERD) at One Memorial Drive, will host sales, marketing, services, advertising and online employees on seven floors in one of the most progressively designed office, training and collaboration spaces in the region. The space also includes an interactive MTC with a stage-set backdrop to realistically showcase Microsoft and partner technologies. Together, the facilities will be known as the New England Microsoft campus and will host more than 850 Microsoft employees, the majority of the company’s New England workforce.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
      </description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:13:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">7D7628860FDF6A7D4B57CA61310EF1082388EEAA</guid>
      <link>http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/sep12/09-27NewEnglandCampus.aspx</link>
      <category>Partners</category>
      <category>Innovation</category>
      <sxp:ChannelId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">NewsCenter</sxp:ChannelId>
      <sxp:FeedId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">FeatureStories</sxp:FeedId>
      <sxp:PublishId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">923169</sxp:PublishId>
      <sxp:AssetId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">7D7628860FDF6A7D4B57CA61310EF1082388EEAA</sxp:AssetId>
      <sxp:Author xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Comments xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:ContentType xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Copyright xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Url xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Type xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Length xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">0</sxp:Enclosure_Length>
      <sxp:ExpirationDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:GoLiveDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Thu, 27 Sep 2012 21:52:26 GMT</sxp:GoLiveDate>
      <sxp:IncludeInRiver xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IncludeInRiver>
      <sxp:IsFeatured xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">False</sxp:IsFeatured>
      <sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned>
      <sxp:LastUpdated xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Thu, 27 Sep 2012 21:52:43 GMT</sxp:LastUpdated>
      <sxp:Link xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/sep12/09-27NewEnglandCampus.aspx</sxp:Link>
      <sxp:PublishDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:13:46 GMT</sxp:PublishDate>
      <sxp:RelativeTime xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">18 days ago</sxp:RelativeTime>
      <sxp:SortOrder xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:SourceName xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Title xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Microsoft Expands New England Campus, Unveils State-of-the-Art Tech Center</sxp:Title>
      <sxp:Content xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Sept. 27, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt; Microsoft Corp. announced the expansion of its New England campus in Cambridge, Mass., including a new, state-of-the-art Microsoft Technology Center (MTC), during an event featuring Governor Deval L. Patrick, Cambridge Mayor Henrietta Davis, Microsoft Northeast General Manager Craig Hodges, partners, customers and employees.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Located at One Cambridge Center in Kendall Square, the growing campus will allow industry leaders and technology experts to work together to envision, architect and demonstrate secure, customized solutions based on both Microsoft and partner technologies. Microsoft has more than 3,000 partners in Massachusetts.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The campus, located just blocks from another state-of-the-art Microsoft facility, the New England Research and Development Center (NERD) at One Memorial Drive, will host sales, marketing, services, advertising and online employees on seven floors in one of the most progressively designed office, training and collaboration spaces in the region. The space also includes an interactive MTC with a stage-set backdrop to realistically showcase Microsoft and partner technologies. Together, the facilities will be known as the New England Microsoft campus and will host more than 850 Microsoft employees, the majority of the company’s New England workforce.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:Content>
      <sxp:Summary xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Slideshow: Microsoft's grand opening of expanded facilities in Cambridge, Mass., aimed to help industry leaders work together to envision, architect and demonstrate solutions based on Microsoft and partner technologies. </sxp:Summary>
      <sxp:MobileTitle xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Microsoft Expands New England Campus, Unveils State-of-the-Art Tech Center</sxp:MobileTitle>
      <sxp:MobileContent xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Sept. 27, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt; Microsoft Corp. announced the expansion of its New England campus in Cambridge, Mass., including a new, state-of-the-art Microsoft Technology Center (MTC), during an event featuring Governor Deval L. Patrick, Cambridge Mayor Henrietta Davis, Microsoft Northeast General Manager Craig Hodges, partners, customers and employees.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Located at One Cambridge Center in Kendall Square, the growing campus will allow industry leaders and technology experts to work together to envision, architect and demonstrate secure, customized solutions based on both Microsoft and partner technologies. Microsoft has more than 3,000 partners in Massachusetts.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The campus, located just blocks from another state-of-the-art Microsoft facility, the New England Research and Development Center (NERD) at One Memorial Drive, will host sales, marketing, services, advertising and online employees on seven floors in one of the most progressively designed office, training and collaboration spaces in the region. The space also includes an interactive MTC with a stage-set backdrop to realistically showcase Microsoft and partner technologies. Together, the facilities will be known as the New England Microsoft campus and will host more than 850 Microsoft employees, the majority of the company’s New England workforce.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:MobileContent>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Partners</sxp:Tag>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Innovation</sxp:Tag>
      <sxpMd:OrganizationCustomerSegment xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Partners</sxpMd:OrganizationCustomerSegment>
      <sxpMd:Initiative xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Innovation</sxpMd:Initiative>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Cincinnati Reds Keep Their IT on the Ball</title>
      <description>
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;CINCINNATI — Sept. 25, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt; A day at the ballpark generally involves hot dogs, beer, the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd. Probably the last thing on anyone’s mind is software and IT systems.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That is, anyone except Brian Keys. Keys is vice president of technology systems for the oldest team in Major League Baseball (MLB), the &lt;a href="http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=cin&amp;amp;sv=1"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Cincinnati Reds&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. He says fans by and large don’t realize the role technology plays all around them when they attend a game, and that’s probably the way it should be. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I tell my friends that I do IT for the Reds, and they always ask why a baseball team would need technology,” Keys says. “I tell them it’s everywhere. You can’t even get into the ballpark without it.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Founded in 1869, the Reds have long been known as one of baseball’s most conservative franchises, but when it comes to technology that moves their business forward and enhances the fan experience, the Reds of 2012 are thoroughly progressive. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The organization has long used an in-house database to facilitate scouting and player development, and since a new ownership group took control of the team in 2006, Keys and his staff have been continually upgrading the technology underpinnings of the team’s home facility, &lt;a href="http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/ballpark/index.jsp"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Great American Ball Park&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, with cutting-edge hardware and visual displays, and a software stack based almost entirely on Microsoft technologies. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through these efforts, today Great American Ball Park may be one of the most technologically advanced in the country. Says Keys: “Ticketing and sales, marketing, creative, operations, accounting, scouting, the whole organization depends on the software we support. And we are definitely a Microsoft shop.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;It’s All &lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;About&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt; People&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keys says the business model of a professional sports franchise is a lot different from a grocery store or an automotive dealership, where physical commodities are bought and sold. In sports, the product is all about people — collecting the best talent to put on the field, and creating the best experience for fans visiting the ballpark. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Great American Ball Park, the actual trading functions of selling items for cash — tickets, jerseys, hats, beer and even Coney-style hot dogs from Cincinnati’s famous &lt;a href="http://www.skylinechili.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Skyline Chili&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; — are maintained by third-party providers such as &lt;a href="http://www.ticketmaster.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Ticketmaster&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and concessionaire &lt;a href="http://www.delawarenorth.com/Food-Service-Concessions.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Delaware North &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;Sportservice&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By outsourcing those functions, the Reds’ IT staff can focus on higher-level, strategic systems that enhance the organization’s ability to operate smarter and more efficiently. Today the Reds’ IT systems help them find the best players, put on a great show for fans who come out to the games — and encourage people to come back more often. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Targeted Ticketing&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just entering the ballpark involves some pretty sophisticated technology. At the gate, tickets are scanned instantly using &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsembedded/en-us/windows-embedded.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Windows Embedded&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;-based handheld devices connected to Ticketmaster’s access control system. In an instant, ticket information is sent to Ticketmaster’s database inside the park and returned as valid, generating that familiar little “beep” and allowing entrance through the turnstiles. But the information doesn’t stop there. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Once that’s validated, the information is synced over to our SQL database,” Keys says. “We’re tracking attendance against our ticket sales.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While ticketing services such as Ticketmaster must adhere to strict privacy regulations that limit the information shared between the organizations, the Reds also maintain a separate &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/default.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft SQL Server&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; database of season ticketholders, high-volume and repeat buyers, and even regular walk-up customers. The database is accessed by sales staff via &lt;a href="http://crm.dynamics.com/en-us/home"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft Dynamics CRM&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We also look at things like how many times you came to the game,” says Keys. “So if you came to the park eight times this year, maybe we’ll offer you a 10-pack next season.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Using a combination of information provided by Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Ticketmaster, the Reds’ sales and marketing staff can spot trends and identify opportunities. Which local ZIP codes are showing the most activity? Among the tickets sold to particular buyers or groups of buyers, how many games were actually attended? What other team events, subscriptions or memberships do ticketholders participate in? &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We use a lot of statistical analysis to target different groups of fans and give them what they want,” Keys says. “Our ticket call center handles both sales and customer service, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM is our guidebook for all of that. It is up and running all the time.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;A Dazzling Display&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Built in 2003 on the banks of the Ohio River, Great American Ball Park is a modern pro sports facility that has been dramatically upgraded throughout its brief lifetime. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For fans, one of the most obvious upgrades is the crystal clarity of the gigantic display towering over the left-field bleachers. That centerpiece is complemented by ribbon displays encircling the upper deck, large vertical displays on the flagpoles in right center, and dozens of smaller screens throughout the ballpark, ensuring that fans can catch the action wherever they happen to be. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While the hardware itself is something to behold, the technology that controls all of the ballpark’s video and audio is equally impressive. Nestled high above the field alongside the television and radio broadcast booths is a complete production studio that controls all of the on-screen and audio action throughout the game. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From there, the Reds’ production staff constantly cuts, edits and updates everything that happens on-screen throughout the park — everything from player stats and replays, to promotions, graphics and ads. Audio is mixed between captured clips, sound bites and the stadium announcer’s microphone. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“This is the brains behind the entire production,” Keys says. “We’re constantly pushing content from here, before, during and after every game.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to Keys, almost the entire production is run in a &lt;a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/home"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Windows&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; environment. Professional equipment from &lt;a href="http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/home.do"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Sony&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and displays from &lt;a href="http://www.samsung.com/us/business/commercial-display-solutions"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Samsung&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and others are connected to Windows-based PCs from &lt;a href="http://www.hp.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;HP&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.dell.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Dell&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. More than 40 terabytes of storage is on hand to manage all that video. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Knowing What’s on Tap&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Display technology at the ballpark goes well beyond what’s on the field, extending across the stadium concourses into vendors’ booths throughout the facility. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gone are the days of plastic, hand-lettered menus: In one of the ballpark’s most recent upgrades, the old menus have also been replaced with crystal-clear LCD displays. One big benefit of this change, according to Keys, is that all of the vendors’ menus and other concourse displays can be controlled centrally using an application developed by his staff and an outside developer using the Microsoft &lt;a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/aa496123.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;.NET Framework&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We provide a log-in, and they can access the signs either on-site or remotely, using whatever tool they want — laptop, tablet, PC or phone,” he says. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The application can be used to adjust pricing, add or delete items, reboot signs that have gone haywire, or make any other necessary changes in a few clicks — as opposed to having staff throughout the park manually alter dozens of signs in the case of a price change, for example. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Putting the Best Product on the Field&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the most striking evolutions to the historic game of baseball in recent years has been the growing importance of statistical analysis in evaluating players and making talent decisions. Like every team in baseball, the Reds have their own unique methods for grading players that are not disclosed for competitive reasons. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However, one tool unique to the Reds is a homegrown database application built with &lt;a href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft Access&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Back in 2000, under the regime of then-general manager Jim Bowden, a member of the Reds staff began building the biographical and statistical system the team affectionately calls “BOSS.” And according to Keys, the team has never looked back.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“In the Windows 2000 era, Microsoft Access was probably the best thing going on the database side, and it’s been solid to this day,” Keys says. “In my tenure we’ve had five GMs, and each GM has come in, seen our system, made some tweaks to it and otherwise kept what we have.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today the tool is used across the Reds’ scouting organization. With more than 30 amateur scouts combing the college and high school ranks, a dozen pro scouts watching MLB games across the country, and dozens more minor-league coaches developing players in the Reds’ organization, the BOSS system aggregates all statistics from these sx`ources and synchronizes them into a &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/default.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;SQL Server&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; database for reporting and analysis by the front office. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Our scouts and all of our minor league affiliates submit information through the Access database on hitting, fielding, pitching, whatever the players do,” Keys says. “We parse the data and send it to the GM in the format he’s asked to receive it. He can access those reports either through a &lt;a href="http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/en-us/Pages/default.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;SharePoint&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Web portal, or here on site through the application itself.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since 2007, Keys has hired four developers. His staff continues to build functionality into the system using the .NET Framework, making it easier for the front office to access and use the data. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Each GM looks at stats differently and wants to see them differently,” Keys says. “The scores and grades change based on that. It’s constantly growing and changing.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Looking Ahead&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It’s been said that the only constant in the world of IT is change, and the same is true in professional sports. Given that, Keys expects to be busy for the foreseeable future, further developing the BOSS scouting system, and updating the ballpark with expanded wireless connectivity and other initiatives. Next up: a migration of the Reds’ accounting systems to &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/erp-gp-overview.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft Dynamics GP&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, in an effort to enhance integration between financials and operations. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We think we can create some efficiency with Microsoft Dynamics GP in terms of better connecting our processes,” he says. “We’ll also look at moving the scouts away from laptops and into a more tablet-based environment.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But first, the postseason. Since the Reds are posting one of the best records in baseball this year, Keys and his group have to plan space and connectivity for hundreds of media members to attend the playoffs at Great American Ball Park. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Will they be ready? Well, if it’s true what Yankees great Yogi Berra once said in his inimitable fashion, that “90 percent of this game is half mental,” then the Reds certainly must have one of the highest technology IQs in the league. &lt;/p&gt;
      </description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">5DB4107800C5B995D352B57BBBC732C1F72FAF3A</guid>
      <link>http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/sep12/09-25CincinnatiReds.aspx</link>
      <category>Dynamics</category>
      <category>Windows Embedded</category>
      <category>SQL Server</category>
      <sxp:ChannelId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">NewsCenter</sxp:ChannelId>
      <sxp:FeedId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">FeatureStories</sxp:FeedId>
      <sxp:PublishId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">907085</sxp:PublishId>
      <sxp:AssetId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">5DB4107800C5B995D352B57BBBC732C1F72FAF3A</sxp:AssetId>
      <sxp:Author xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Comments xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:ContentType xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Copyright xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Url xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Type xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Length xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">0</sxp:Enclosure_Length>
      <sxp:ExpirationDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:GoLiveDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:00:00 GMT</sxp:GoLiveDate>
      <sxp:IncludeInRiver xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IncludeInRiver>
      <sxp:IsFeatured xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">False</sxp:IsFeatured>
      <sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned>
      <sxp:LastUpdated xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:01:28 GMT</sxp:LastUpdated>
      <sxp:Link xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/sep12/09-25CincinnatiReds.aspx</sxp:Link>
      <sxp:PublishDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:00:00 GMT</sxp:PublishDate>
      <sxp:RelativeTime xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">20 days ago</sxp:RelativeTime>
      <sxp:SortOrder xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:SourceName xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Title xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Cincinnati Reds Keep Their IT on the Ball</sxp:Title>
      <sxp:Content xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;CINCINNATI — Sept. 25, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt; A day at the ballpark generally involves hot dogs, beer, the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd. Probably the last thing on anyone’s mind is software and IT systems.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That is, anyone except Brian Keys. Keys is vice president of technology systems for the oldest team in Major League Baseball (MLB), the &lt;a href="http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=cin&amp;amp;sv=1"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Cincinnati Reds&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. He says fans by and large don’t realize the role technology plays all around them when they attend a game, and that’s probably the way it should be. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I tell my friends that I do IT for the Reds, and they always ask why a baseball team would need technology,” Keys says. “I tell them it’s everywhere. You can’t even get into the ballpark without it.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Founded in 1869, the Reds have long been known as one of baseball’s most conservative franchises, but when it comes to technology that moves their business forward and enhances the fan experience, the Reds of 2012 are thoroughly progressive. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The organization has long used an in-house database to facilitate scouting and player development, and since a new ownership group took control of the team in 2006, Keys and his staff have been continually upgrading the technology underpinnings of the team’s home facility, &lt;a href="http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/ballpark/index.jsp"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Great American Ball Park&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, with cutting-edge hardware and visual displays, and a software stack based almost entirely on Microsoft technologies. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through these efforts, today Great American Ball Park may be one of the most technologically advanced in the country. Says Keys: “Ticketing and sales, marketing, creative, operations, accounting, scouting, the whole organization depends on the software we support. And we are definitely a Microsoft shop.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;It’s All &lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;About&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt; People&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keys says the business model of a professional sports franchise is a lot different from a grocery store or an automotive dealership, where physical commodities are bought and sold. In sports, the product is all about people — collecting the best talent to put on the field, and creating the best experience for fans visiting the ballpark. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Great American Ball Park, the actual trading functions of selling items for cash — tickets, jerseys, hats, beer and even Coney-style hot dogs from Cincinnati’s famous &lt;a href="http://www.skylinechili.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Skyline Chili&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; — are maintained by third-party providers such as &lt;a href="http://www.ticketmaster.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Ticketmaster&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and concessionaire &lt;a href="http://www.delawarenorth.com/Food-Service-Concessions.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Delaware North &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;Sportservice&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By outsourcing those functions, the Reds’ IT staff can focus on higher-level, strategic systems that enhance the organization’s ability to operate smarter and more efficiently. Today the Reds’ IT systems help them find the best players, put on a great show for fans who come out to the games — and encourage people to come back more often. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Targeted Ticketing&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just entering the ballpark involves some pretty sophisticated technology. At the gate, tickets are scanned instantly using &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsembedded/en-us/windows-embedded.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Windows Embedded&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;-based handheld devices connected to Ticketmaster’s access control system. In an instant, ticket information is sent to Ticketmaster’s database inside the park and returned as valid, generating that familiar little “beep” and allowing entrance through the turnstiles. But the information doesn’t stop there. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Once that’s validated, the information is synced over to our SQL database,” Keys says. “We’re tracking attendance against our ticket sales.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While ticketing services such as Ticketmaster must adhere to strict privacy regulations that limit the information shared between the organizations, the Reds also maintain a separate &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/default.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft SQL Server&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; database of season ticketholders, high-volume and repeat buyers, and even regular walk-up customers. The database is accessed by sales staff via &lt;a href="http://crm.dynamics.com/en-us/home"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft Dynamics CRM&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We also look at things like how many times you came to the game,” says Keys. “So if you came to the park eight times this year, maybe we’ll offer you a 10-pack next season.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Using a combination of information provided by Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Ticketmaster, the Reds’ sales and marketing staff can spot trends and identify opportunities. Which local ZIP codes are showing the most activity? Among the tickets sold to particular buyers or groups of buyers, how many games were actually attended? What other team events, subscriptions or memberships do ticketholders participate in? &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We use a lot of statistical analysis to target different groups of fans and give them what they want,” Keys says. “Our ticket call center handles both sales and customer service, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM is our guidebook for all of that. It is up and running all the time.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;A Dazzling Display&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Built in 2003 on the banks of the Ohio River, Great American Ball Park is a modern pro sports facility that has been dramatically upgraded throughout its brief lifetime. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For fans, one of the most obvious upgrades is the crystal clarity of the gigantic display towering over the left-field bleachers. That centerpiece is complemented by ribbon displays encircling the upper deck, large vertical displays on the flagpoles in right center, and dozens of smaller screens throughout the ballpark, ensuring that fans can catch the action wherever they happen to be. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While the hardware itself is something to behold, the technology that controls all of the ballpark’s video and audio is equally impressive. Nestled high above the field alongside the television and radio broadcast booths is a complete production studio that controls all of the on-screen and audio action throughout the game. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From there, the Reds’ production staff constantly cuts, edits and updates everything that happens on-screen throughout the park — everything from player stats and replays, to promotions, graphics and ads. Audio is mixed between captured clips, sound bites and the stadium announcer’s microphone. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“This is the brains behind the entire production,” Keys says. “We’re constantly pushing content from here, before, during and after every game.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to Keys, almost the entire production is run in a &lt;a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/home"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Windows&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; environment. Professional equipment from &lt;a href="http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/home.do"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Sony&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and displays from &lt;a href="http://www.samsung.com/us/business/commercial-display-solutions"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Samsung&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and others are connected to Windows-based PCs from &lt;a href="http://www.hp.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;HP&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.dell.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Dell&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. More than 40 terabytes of storage is on hand to manage all that video. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Knowing What’s on Tap&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Display technology at the ballpark goes well beyond what’s on the field, extending across the stadium concourses into vendors’ booths throughout the facility. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gone are the days of plastic, hand-lettered menus: In one of the ballpark’s most recent upgrades, the old menus have also been replaced with crystal-clear LCD displays. One big benefit of this change, according to Keys, is that all of the vendors’ menus and other concourse displays can be controlled centrally using an application developed by his staff and an outside developer using the Microsoft &lt;a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/aa496123.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;.NET Framework&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We provide a log-in, and they can access the signs either on-site or remotely, using whatever tool they want — laptop, tablet, PC or phone,” he says. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The application can be used to adjust pricing, add or delete items, reboot signs that have gone haywire, or make any other necessary changes in a few clicks — as opposed to having staff throughout the park manually alter dozens of signs in the case of a price change, for example. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Putting the Best Product on the Field&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the most striking evolutions to the historic game of baseball in recent years has been the growing importance of statistical analysis in evaluating players and making talent decisions. Like every team in baseball, the Reds have their own unique methods for grading players that are not disclosed for competitive reasons. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However, one tool unique to the Reds is a homegrown database application built with &lt;a href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft Access&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Back in 2000, under the regime of then-general manager Jim Bowden, a member of the Reds staff began building the biographical and statistical system the team affectionately calls “BOSS.” And according to Keys, the team has never looked back.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“In the Windows 2000 era, Microsoft Access was probably the best thing going on the database side, and it’s been solid to this day,” Keys says. “In my tenure we’ve had five GMs, and each GM has come in, seen our system, made some tweaks to it and otherwise kept what we have.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today the tool is used across the Reds’ scouting organization. With more than 30 amateur scouts combing the college and high school ranks, a dozen pro scouts watching MLB games across the country, and dozens more minor-league coaches developing players in the Reds’ organization, the BOSS system aggregates all statistics from these sx`ources and synchronizes them into a &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/default.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;SQL Server&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; database for reporting and analysis by the front office. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Our scouts and all of our minor league affiliates submit information through the Access database on hitting, fielding, pitching, whatever the players do,” Keys says. “We parse the data and send it to the GM in the format he’s asked to receive it. He can access those reports either through a &lt;a href="http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/en-us/Pages/default.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;SharePoint&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Web portal, or here on site through the application itself.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since 2007, Keys has hired four developers. His staff continues to build functionality into the system using the .NET Framework, making it easier for the front office to access and use the data. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Each GM looks at stats differently and wants to see them differently,” Keys says. “The scores and grades change based on that. It’s constantly growing and changing.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Looking Ahead&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It’s been said that the only constant in the world of IT is change, and the same is true in professional sports. Given that, Keys expects to be busy for the foreseeable future, further developing the BOSS scouting system, and updating the ballpark with expanded wireless connectivity and other initiatives. Next up: a migration of the Reds’ accounting systems to &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/erp-gp-overview.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft Dynamics GP&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, in an effort to enhance integration between financials and operations. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We think we can create some efficiency with Microsoft Dynamics GP in terms of better connecting our processes,” he says. “We’ll also look at moving the scouts away from laptops and into a more tablet-based environment.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But first, the postseason. Since the Reds are posting one of the best records in baseball this year, Keys and his group have to plan space and connectivity for hundreds of media members to attend the playoffs at Great American Ball Park. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Will they be ready? Well, if it’s true what Yankees great Yogi Berra once said in his inimitable fashion, that “90 percent of this game is half mental,” then the Reds certainly must have one of the highest technology IQs in the league. &lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:Content>
      <sxp:Summary xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">What does technology have to do with running a pro sports franchise? More than you might think. </sxp:Summary>
      <sxp:MobileTitle xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Cincinnati Reds Keep Their IT on the Ball</sxp:MobileTitle>
      <sxp:MobileContent xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;CINCINNATI — Sept. 25, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt; A day at the ballpark generally involves hot dogs, beer, the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd. Probably the last thing on anyone’s mind is software and IT systems.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That is, anyone except Brian Keys. Keys is vice president of technology systems for the oldest team in Major League Baseball (MLB), the &lt;a href="http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=cin&amp;amp;sv=1"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Cincinnati Reds&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. He says fans by and large don’t realize the role technology plays all around them when they attend a game, and that’s probably the way it should be. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I tell my friends that I do IT for the Reds, and they always ask why a baseball team would need technology,” Keys says. “I tell them it’s everywhere. You can’t even get into the ballpark without it.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Founded in 1869, the Reds have long been known as one of baseball’s most conservative franchises, but when it comes to technology that moves their business forward and enhances the fan experience, the Reds of 2012 are thoroughly progressive. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The organization has long used an in-house database to facilitate scouting and player development, and since a new ownership group took control of the team in 2006, Keys and his staff have been continually upgrading the technology underpinnings of the team’s home facility, &lt;a href="http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/ballpark/index.jsp"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Great American Ball Park&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, with cutting-edge hardware and visual displays, and a software stack based almost entirely on Microsoft technologies. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through these efforts, today Great American Ball Park may be one of the most technologically advanced in the country. Says Keys: “Ticketing and sales, marketing, creative, operations, accounting, scouting, the whole organization depends on the software we support. And we are definitely a Microsoft shop.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;It’s All &lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;About&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;b&gt; People&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keys says the business model of a professional sports franchise is a lot different from a grocery store or an automotive dealership, where physical commodities are bought and sold. In sports, the product is all about people — collecting the best talent to put on the field, and creating the best experience for fans visiting the ballpark. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Great American Ball Park, the actual trading functions of selling items for cash — tickets, jerseys, hats, beer and even Coney-style hot dogs from Cincinnati’s famous &lt;a href="http://www.skylinechili.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Skyline Chili&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; — are maintained by third-party providers such as &lt;a href="http://www.ticketmaster.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Ticketmaster&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and concessionaire &lt;a href="http://www.delawarenorth.com/Food-Service-Concessions.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Delaware North &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;Sportservice&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By outsourcing those functions, the Reds’ IT staff can focus on higher-level, strategic systems that enhance the organization’s ability to operate smarter and more efficiently. Today the Reds’ IT systems help them find the best players, put on a great show for fans who come out to the games — and encourage people to come back more often. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Targeted Ticketing&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just entering the ballpark involves some pretty sophisticated technology. At the gate, tickets are scanned instantly using &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsembedded/en-us/windows-embedded.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Windows Embedded&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;-based handheld devices connected to Ticketmaster’s access control system. In an instant, ticket information is sent to Ticketmaster’s database inside the park and returned as valid, generating that familiar little “beep” and allowing entrance through the turnstiles. But the information doesn’t stop there. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Once that’s validated, the information is synced over to our SQL database,” Keys says. “We’re tracking attendance against our ticket sales.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While ticketing services such as Ticketmaster must adhere to strict privacy regulations that limit the information shared between the organizations, the Reds also maintain a separate &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/default.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft SQL Server&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; database of season ticketholders, high-volume and repeat buyers, and even regular walk-up customers. The database is accessed by sales staff via &lt;a href="http://crm.dynamics.com/en-us/home"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft Dynamics CRM&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We also look at things like how many times you came to the game,” says Keys. “So if you came to the park eight times this year, maybe we’ll offer you a 10-pack next season.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Using a combination of information provided by Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Ticketmaster, the Reds’ sales and marketing staff can spot trends and identify opportunities. Which local ZIP codes are showing the most activity? Among the tickets sold to particular buyers or groups of buyers, how many games were actually attended? What other team events, subscriptions or memberships do ticketholders participate in? &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We use a lot of statistical analysis to target different groups of fans and give them what they want,” Keys says. “Our ticket call center handles both sales and customer service, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM is our guidebook for all of that. It is up and running all the time.”&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;A Dazzling Display&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Built in 2003 on the banks of the Ohio River, Great American Ball Park is a modern pro sports facility that has been dramatically upgraded throughout its brief lifetime. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For fans, one of the most obvious upgrades is the crystal clarity of the gigantic display towering over the left-field bleachers. That centerpiece is complemented by ribbon displays encircling the upper deck, large vertical displays on the flagpoles in right center, and dozens of smaller screens throughout the ballpark, ensuring that fans can catch the action wherever they happen to be. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;While the hardware itself is something to behold, the technology that controls all of the ballpark’s video and audio is equally impressive. Nestled high above the field alongside the television and radio broadcast booths is a complete production studio that controls all of the on-screen and audio action throughout the game. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From there, the Reds’ production staff constantly cuts, edits and updates everything that happens on-screen throughout the park — everything from player stats and replays, to promotions, graphics and ads. Audio is mixed between captured clips, sound bites and the stadium announcer’s microphone. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“This is the brains behind the entire production,” Keys says. “We’re constantly pushing content from here, before, during and after every game.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to Keys, almost the entire production is run in a &lt;a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/home"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Windows&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; environment. Professional equipment from &lt;a href="http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/home.do"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Sony&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and displays from &lt;a href="http://www.samsung.com/us/business/commercial-display-solutions"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Samsung&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and others are connected to Windows-based PCs from &lt;a href="http://www.hp.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;HP&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.dell.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Dell&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. More than 40 terabytes of storage is on hand to manage all that video. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Knowing What’s on Tap&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Display technology at the ballpark goes well beyond what’s on the field, extending across the stadium concourses into vendors’ booths throughout the facility. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gone are the days of plastic, hand-lettered menus: In one of the ballpark’s most recent upgrades, the old menus have also been replaced with crystal-clear LCD displays. One big benefit of this change, according to Keys, is that all of the vendors’ menus and other concourse displays can be controlled centrally using an application developed by his staff and an outside developer using the Microsoft &lt;a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/aa496123.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;.NET Framework&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We provide a log-in, and they can access the signs either on-site or remotely, using whatever tool they want — laptop, tablet, PC or phone,” he says. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The application can be used to adjust pricing, add or delete items, reboot signs that have gone haywire, or make any other necessary changes in a few clicks — as opposed to having staff throughout the park manually alter dozens of signs in the case of a price change, for example. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Putting the Best Product on the Field&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the most striking evolutions to the historic game of baseball in recent years has been the growing importance of statistical analysis in evaluating players and making talent decisions. Like every team in baseball, the Reds have their own unique methods for grading players that are not disclosed for competitive reasons. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However, one tool unique to the Reds is a homegrown database application built with &lt;a href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft Access&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Back in 2000, under the regime of then-general manager Jim Bowden, a member of the Reds staff began building the biographical and statistical system the team affectionately calls “BOSS.” And according to Keys, the team has never looked back.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“In the Windows 2000 era, Microsoft Access was probably the best thing going on the database side, and it’s been solid to this day,” Keys says. “In my tenure we’ve had five GMs, and each GM has come in, seen our system, made some tweaks to it and otherwise kept what we have.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today the tool is used across the Reds’ scouting organization. With more than 30 amateur scouts combing the college and high school ranks, a dozen pro scouts watching MLB games across the country, and dozens more minor-league coaches developing players in the Reds’ organization, the BOSS system aggregates all statistics from these sx`ources and synchronizes them into a &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/default.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;SQL Server&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; database for reporting and analysis by the front office. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Our scouts and all of our minor league affiliates submit information through the Access database on hitting, fielding, pitching, whatever the players do,” Keys says. “We parse the data and send it to the GM in the format he’s asked to receive it. He can access those reports either through a &lt;a href="http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/en-us/Pages/default.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;SharePoint&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Web portal, or here on site through the application itself.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since 2007, Keys has hired four developers. His staff continues to build functionality into the system using the .NET Framework, making it easier for the front office to access and use the data. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Each GM looks at stats differently and wants to see them differently,” Keys says. “The scores and grades change based on that. It’s constantly growing and changing.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Looking Ahead&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It’s been said that the only constant in the world of IT is change, and the same is true in professional sports. Given that, Keys expects to be busy for the foreseeable future, further developing the BOSS scouting system, and updating the ballpark with expanded wireless connectivity and other initiatives. Next up: a migration of the Reds’ accounting systems to &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/erp-gp-overview.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft Dynamics GP&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, in an effort to enhance integration between financials and operations. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We think we can create some efficiency with Microsoft Dynamics GP in terms of better connecting our processes,” he says. “We’ll also look at moving the scouts away from laptops and into a more tablet-based environment.” &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But first, the postseason. Since the Reds are posting one of the best records in baseball this year, Keys and his group have to plan space and connectivity for hundreds of media members to attend the playoffs at Great American Ball Park. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Will they be ready? Well, if it’s true what Yankees great Yogi Berra once said in his inimitable fashion, that “90 percent of this game is half mental,” then the Reds certainly must have one of the highest technology IQs in the league. &lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:MobileContent>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Dynamics</sxp:Tag>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Windows Embedded</sxp:Tag>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">SQL Server</sxp:Tag>
      <sxpMd:Product xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Dynamics,Windows Embedded,SQL Server</sxpMd:Product>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>New Exchange Addresses Changing Landscape of Security</title>
      <description>
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 24, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt;Today marks the kick-off of Microsoft Exchange Conference 2012 (MEC), the first time in 10 years that Microsoft has held the event. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To take a look at how the communications landscape has evolved in the last decade, Microsoft worked with Harris Interactive to conduct a study of 450 IT pros. The infographic below provides a look into some of the most interesting results from the survey. Among them, IT pros report the need for better compliance and security as their companies expand, the variety of devices used in the workplace grows, and security attacks become more sophisticated. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Office/CommunicationsintheModernOffice_Page.jpg" alt="Communications in the Modern Office" width="300" height="810" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Communications in the Modern Office&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;September 23, 2012&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Office/CommunicationsintheModernOffice_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Office/CommunicationsintheModernOffice_Print.jpg"&gt;Print&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the conference this week, attendees will learn more about how the new Exchange delivers improved security and compliance features that help IT maintain control over sensitive business data. And all of these new features are available in the cloud, on-premises, or a combination of the two.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information on the new Exchange, visit the &lt;a href="http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Exchange Team (EHLO)&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://blogs.office.com/b/office-next/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Office Next blogs&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
      </description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">CE43B5841CBA90FE25681FEDA2EAE2F908CC3A5C</guid>
      <link>http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/sep12/09-24Exchange.aspx</link>
      <category>IT Professionals</category>
      <category>Exchange Server 2012</category>
      <sxp:ChannelId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">NewsCenter</sxp:ChannelId>
      <sxp:FeedId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">FeatureStories</sxp:FeedId>
      <sxp:PublishId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">903947</sxp:PublishId>
      <sxp:AssetId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">CE43B5841CBA90FE25681FEDA2EAE2F908CC3A5C</sxp:AssetId>
      <sxp:Author xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Comments xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:ContentType xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Copyright xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Url xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Type xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Length xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">0</sxp:Enclosure_Length>
      <sxp:ExpirationDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:GoLiveDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:47:57 GMT</sxp:GoLiveDate>
      <sxp:IncludeInRiver xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IncludeInRiver>
      <sxp:IsFeatured xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">False</sxp:IsFeatured>
      <sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned>
      <sxp:LastUpdated xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:48:11 GMT</sxp:LastUpdated>
      <sxp:Link xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/sep12/09-24Exchange.aspx</sxp:Link>
      <sxp:PublishDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:00:00 GMT</sxp:PublishDate>
      <sxp:RelativeTime xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">20 days ago</sxp:RelativeTime>
      <sxp:SortOrder xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:SourceName xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Title xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">New Exchange Addresses Changing Landscape of Security</sxp:Title>
      <sxp:Content xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 24, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt;Today marks the kick-off of Microsoft Exchange Conference 2012 (MEC), the first time in 10 years that Microsoft has held the event. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To take a look at how the communications landscape has evolved in the last decade, Microsoft worked with Harris Interactive to conduct a study of 450 IT pros. The infographic below provides a look into some of the most interesting results from the survey. Among them, IT pros report the need for better compliance and security as their companies expand, the variety of devices used in the workplace grows, and security attacks become more sophisticated. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Office/CommunicationsintheModernOffice_Page.jpg" alt="Communications in the Modern Office" width="300" height="810" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Communications in the Modern Office&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;September 23, 2012&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Office/CommunicationsintheModernOffice_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Office/CommunicationsintheModernOffice_Print.jpg"&gt;Print&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the conference this week, attendees will learn more about how the new Exchange delivers improved security and compliance features that help IT maintain control over sensitive business data. And all of these new features are available in the cloud, on-premises, or a combination of the two.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information on the new Exchange, visit the &lt;a href="http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Exchange Team (EHLO)&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://blogs.office.com/b/office-next/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Office Next blogs&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:Content>
      <sxp:Summary xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Harris Interactive poll highlights change in how information is shared, supports need for balanced approach to data security.</sxp:Summary>
      <sxp:MobileTitle xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">New Exchange Addresses Changing Landscape of Security</sxp:MobileTitle>
      <sxp:MobileContent xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 24, 2012 —&lt;/b&gt;Today marks the kick-off of Microsoft Exchange Conference 2012 (MEC), the first time in 10 years that Microsoft has held the event. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To take a look at how the communications landscape has evolved in the last decade, Microsoft worked with Harris Interactive to conduct a study of 450 IT pros. The infographic below provides a look into some of the most interesting results from the survey. Among them, IT pros report the need for better compliance and security as their companies expand, the variety of devices used in the workplace grows, and security attacks become more sophisticated. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;Table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" border="0" style="width: 50px; border-collapse: collapse;"&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center"&gt;
        &lt;img src="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Office/CommunicationsintheModernOffice_Page.jpg" alt="Communications in the Modern Office" width="300" height="810" /&gt;
        &lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td align="center" width="342px" style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 0px;padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;Communications in the Modern Office&lt;/b&gt;
        &lt;br /&gt;September 23, 2012&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;tr&gt;
        &lt;td&gt;Downloads:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Office/CommunicationsintheModernOffice_Web.jpg"&gt;Web&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/global/en-us/news/publishingimages/ImageGallery/Images/Products/Office/CommunicationsintheModernOffice_Print.jpg"&gt;Print&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
        &lt;/tr&gt;
        &lt;/Table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the conference this week, attendees will learn more about how the new Exchange delivers improved security and compliance features that help IT maintain control over sensitive business data. And all of these new features are available in the cloud, on-premises, or a combination of the two.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information on the new Exchange, visit the &lt;a href="http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Exchange Team (EHLO)&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://blogs.office.com/b/office-next/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Office Next blogs&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:MobileContent>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">IT Professionals</sxp:Tag>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Exchange Server 2012</sxp:Tag>
      <sxpMd:IndividualCustomerSegment xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">IT Professionals</sxpMd:IndividualCustomerSegment>
      <sxpMd:Product xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Exchange Server 2012</sxpMd:Product>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Microsoft YouthSpark Grants to Encourage Youth to Do Great Things</title>
      <description>
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 20, 2012 — &lt;/b&gt;As part of the launch of the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/Press/2012/Sep12/09-20YouthSparkPR.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;YouthSpark&lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt; initiative&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Microsoft announced national partnerships with five major nonprofit organizations with missions to give youth the skills, education and job training they need to succeed: &lt;a href="http://www.bgca.org/Pages/index.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Boys &amp;amp; Girls Clubs of America&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.cityyear.org/default_ektid22283.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;City Year&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.ja.org/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Junior Achievement USA (JA)&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.nfte.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.yearup.org/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Year Up&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the surface, the nonprofit grants aim to bolster programs that help youth learn important 21st-century skills, find jobs and connect with caring adult mentors. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However, scratch beneath the surface, and there are thousands of stories of real young people who have been impacted by these programs, gotten off the streets, found their dream jobs or been inspired to further their education. These stories include teenage moms who have gained the skills to support their children, underperforming youth who understood math for the first time, young entrepreneurs who have created their own innovative businesses and many more. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of the YouthSpark announcement, the organizations shared their plans for how they will use the funding, as well as some real stories of challenge and success. Check out those stories below.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Boys &amp;amp; Girls Clubs of America&lt;/b&gt; assures success is within reach of every child who enters its doors, with its 4 million youth served annually on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle. The organization is transforming the next generation of citizens, leaders and workers and will use Microsoft’s funding to create the Great Futures Challenge, inspiring teens to create projects that propose solutions to business or societal problems. &lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;City Year &lt;/b&gt;unites teams of diverse young adults who serve full time in schools for 10 months to help struggling students succeed. Corps members work with students to improve student attendance, behavior and course performance. Using the funding, City Year will enhance its Math Capacity Partnerships and further invest in the Diplomas Now turnaround collaborative to build curriculum and intervention tools, and encourage academic success and higher graduation rates. &lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Year Up&lt;/b&gt; provides urban young adults with the skills, experience and support that will empower them to reach their potentials. The high-support, high-expectation program combines marketing job skills, stipends, internships and college credit, which help to place these young adults on a viable path to self-sufficiency. Microsoft’s support will help the organization expand its operations in seven cities, projecting an increase in the number of students it serves by 20 percent in the first year.&lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;NFTE&lt;/b&gt; inspires young people from low-income communities to stay in school through entrepreneurship curricula offered in middle and high schools. The collaboration with Microsoft will include continued sponsorship of The World Series of Innovation, in which students invent products or services to meet innovation challenges. It will also fund NFTE Math in Schools, a curriculum that helps students master math principles. Microsoft’s efforts will also support the Digital Classroom, which connects NFTE volunteers and classrooms across regions. Finally, the NFTE Next Generation Tech Challenge, a technology, entrepreneurship and mentorship program for at-risk high school students in New York, will also be supported by Microsoft.&lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;JA&lt;/b&gt; is dedicated to educating students in grades K–12 about entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy. The partnership will support the JA Job Shadow program, which will bring students into Microsoft Retail Stores to learn firsthand about careers in the technology field.&lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;These nonprofit organizations already change young people’s lives every day. Now, with support from Microsoft, they can do even more to address the challenges facing youth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
      </description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">5A10CEC39CA2A14C624826615438E380823FC2D1</guid>
      <link>http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/sep12/09-20CitizenshipGrants.aspx</link>
      <category>Citizenship</category>
      <category>YouthSpark</category>
      <sxp:ChannelId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">NewsCenter</sxp:ChannelId>
      <sxp:FeedId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">FeatureStories</sxp:FeedId>
      <sxp:PublishId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">892832</sxp:PublishId>
      <sxp:AssetId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">5A10CEC39CA2A14C624826615438E380823FC2D1</sxp:AssetId>
      <sxp:Author xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Comments xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:ContentType xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Copyright xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Url xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Type xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Length xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">0</sxp:Enclosure_Length>
      <sxp:ExpirationDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:GoLiveDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:05:50 GMT</sxp:GoLiveDate>
      <sxp:IncludeInRiver xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IncludeInRiver>
      <sxp:IsFeatured xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">False</sxp:IsFeatured>
      <sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned>
      <sxp:LastUpdated xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:06:25 GMT</sxp:LastUpdated>
      <sxp:Link xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/sep12/09-20CitizenshipGrants.aspx</sxp:Link>
      <sxp:PublishDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:00:00 GMT</sxp:PublishDate>
      <sxp:RelativeTime xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">25 days ago</sxp:RelativeTime>
      <sxp:SortOrder xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:SourceName xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Title xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Microsoft YouthSpark Grants to Encourage Youth to Do Great Things</sxp:Title>
      <sxp:Content xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 20, 2012 — &lt;/b&gt;As part of the launch of the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/Press/2012/Sep12/09-20YouthSparkPR.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;YouthSpark&lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt; initiative&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Microsoft announced national partnerships with five major nonprofit organizations with missions to give youth the skills, education and job training they need to succeed: &lt;a href="http://www.bgca.org/Pages/index.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Boys &amp;amp; Girls Clubs of America&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.cityyear.org/default_ektid22283.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;City Year&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.ja.org/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Junior Achievement USA (JA)&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.nfte.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.yearup.org/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Year Up&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the surface, the nonprofit grants aim to bolster programs that help youth learn important 21st-century skills, find jobs and connect with caring adult mentors. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However, scratch beneath the surface, and there are thousands of stories of real young people who have been impacted by these programs, gotten off the streets, found their dream jobs or been inspired to further their education. These stories include teenage moms who have gained the skills to support their children, underperforming youth who understood math for the first time, young entrepreneurs who have created their own innovative businesses and many more. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of the YouthSpark announcement, the organizations shared their plans for how they will use the funding, as well as some real stories of challenge and success. Check out those stories below.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Boys &amp;amp; Girls Clubs of America&lt;/b&gt; assures success is within reach of every child who enters its doors, with its 4 million youth served annually on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle. The organization is transforming the next generation of citizens, leaders and workers and will use Microsoft’s funding to create the Great Futures Challenge, inspiring teens to create projects that propose solutions to business or societal problems. &lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;City Year &lt;/b&gt;unites teams of diverse young adults who serve full time in schools for 10 months to help struggling students succeed. Corps members work with students to improve student attendance, behavior and course performance. Using the funding, City Year will enhance its Math Capacity Partnerships and further invest in the Diplomas Now turnaround collaborative to build curriculum and intervention tools, and encourage academic success and higher graduation rates. &lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Year Up&lt;/b&gt; provides urban young adults with the skills, experience and support that will empower them to reach their potentials. The high-support, high-expectation program combines marketing job skills, stipends, internships and college credit, which help to place these young adults on a viable path to self-sufficiency. Microsoft’s support will help the organization expand its operations in seven cities, projecting an increase in the number of students it serves by 20 percent in the first year.&lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;NFTE&lt;/b&gt; inspires young people from low-income communities to stay in school through entrepreneurship curricula offered in middle and high schools. The collaboration with Microsoft will include continued sponsorship of The World Series of Innovation, in which students invent products or services to meet innovation challenges. It will also fund NFTE Math in Schools, a curriculum that helps students master math principles. Microsoft’s efforts will also support the Digital Classroom, which connects NFTE volunteers and classrooms across regions. Finally, the NFTE Next Generation Tech Challenge, a technology, entrepreneurship and mentorship program for at-risk high school students in New York, will also be supported by Microsoft.&lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;JA&lt;/b&gt; is dedicated to educating students in grades K–12 about entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy. The partnership will support the JA Job Shadow program, which will bring students into Microsoft Retail Stores to learn firsthand about careers in the technology field.&lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;These nonprofit organizations already change young people’s lives every day. Now, with support from Microsoft, they can do even more to address the challenges facing youth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:Content>
      <sxp:Summary xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">As part of a commitment to create opportunities for 300 million youth around the world during the next three years, Microsoft announces support for five national U.S. nonprofits that focus on youth causes. Here’s a look at how these organizations are making a difference.</sxp:Summary>
      <sxp:MobileTitle xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Microsoft YouthSpark Grants to Encourage Youth to Do Great Things</sxp:MobileTitle>
      <sxp:MobileContent xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 20, 2012 — &lt;/b&gt;As part of the launch of the &lt;a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/Press/2012/Sep12/09-20YouthSparkPR.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Microsoft &lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt;YouthSpark&lt;/u&gt;&lt;u&gt; initiative&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Microsoft announced national partnerships with five major nonprofit organizations with missions to give youth the skills, education and job training they need to succeed: &lt;a href="http://www.bgca.org/Pages/index.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Boys &amp;amp; Girls Clubs of America&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.cityyear.org/default_ektid22283.aspx"&gt;&lt;u&gt;City Year&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.ja.org/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Junior Achievement USA (JA)&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.nfte.com/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.yearup.org/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Year Up&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On the surface, the nonprofit grants aim to bolster programs that help youth learn important 21st-century skills, find jobs and connect with caring adult mentors. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However, scratch beneath the surface, and there are thousands of stories of real young people who have been impacted by these programs, gotten off the streets, found their dream jobs or been inspired to further their education. These stories include teenage moms who have gained the skills to support their children, underperforming youth who understood math for the first time, young entrepreneurs who have created their own innovative businesses and many more. &lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As part of the YouthSpark announcement, the organizations shared their plans for how they will use the funding, as well as some real stories of challenge and success. Check out those stories below.&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        &lt;BR /&gt;
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Boys &amp;amp; Girls Clubs of America&lt;/b&gt; assures success is within reach of every child who enters its doors, with its 4 million youth served annually on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle. The organization is transforming the next generation of citizens, leaders and workers and will use Microsoft’s funding to create the Great Futures Challenge, inspiring teens to create projects that propose solutions to business or societal problems. &lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;City Year &lt;/b&gt;unites teams of diverse young adults who serve full time in schools for 10 months to help struggling students succeed. Corps members work with students to improve student attendance, behavior and course performance. Using the funding, City Year will enhance its Math Capacity Partnerships and further invest in the Diplomas Now turnaround collaborative to build curriculum and intervention tools, and encourage academic success and higher graduation rates. &lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Year Up&lt;/b&gt; provides urban young adults with the skills, experience and support that will empower them to reach their potentials. The high-support, high-expectation program combines marketing job skills, stipends, internships and college credit, which help to place these young adults on a viable path to self-sufficiency. Microsoft’s support will help the organization expand its operations in seven cities, projecting an increase in the number of students it serves by 20 percent in the first year.&lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;NFTE&lt;/b&gt; inspires young people from low-income communities to stay in school through entrepreneurship curricula offered in middle and high schools. The collaboration with Microsoft will include continued sponsorship of The World Series of Innovation, in which students invent products or services to meet innovation challenges. It will also fund NFTE Math in Schools, a curriculum that helps students master math principles. Microsoft’s efforts will also support the Digital Classroom, which connects NFTE volunteers and classrooms across regions. Finally, the NFTE Next Generation Tech Challenge, a technology, entrepreneurship and mentorship program for at-risk high school students in New York, will also be supported by Microsoft.&lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;li&gt;
        &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;JA&lt;/b&gt; is dedicated to educating students in grades K–12 about entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy. The partnership will support the JA Job Shadow program, which will bring students into Microsoft Retail Stores to learn firsthand about careers in the technology field.&lt;/p&gt;
        &lt;/li&gt;
        &lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;These nonprofit organizations already change young people’s lives every day. Now, with support from Microsoft, they can do even more to address the challenges facing youth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:MobileContent>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Citizenship</sxp:Tag>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">YouthSpark</sxp:Tag>
      <sxpMd:Initiative xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Citizenship,YouthSpark</sxpMd:Initiative>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Type in Comfort With New Windows 8 Keyboard</title>
      <description>
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 19, 2012 — &lt;/b&gt;Logging long hours at a computer is a bit like running a marathon, only it’s your fingers and forearms that pound the proverbial pavement – and most of us return to the starting line the very next day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Like a marathon, all that typing can cause pain. Left unchecked it can become a repetitive stress injury (RSI). So just as runners need the right shoes, office workers need the right equipment to comfortably grind out the miles. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Today, Microsoft Hardware announced the newest member of its ergonomic lineup, the Windows 8-enabled Sculpt Comfort Keyboard. The keyboard includes a number of ergonomic features designed for maximum comfort and efficiency, including a contoured layout, a detachable padded palm rest, and a split backspace-spacebar key.
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Sculpt Comfort Keyboard is part of Microsoft Hardware’s ongoing efforts to keep its customers comfortable as they spend ever-increasing hours on their computers, says Suneel Goud, senior product marketing manager in Microsoft Hardware. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        “At the end of the day, we want our customers to have a great computing experience,” Goud says. “And that comes from both the software experience and the hardware peripherals used to interface with the computer. Our lineup of keyboards and mice are designed to keep our customers comfortable and to keep them healthy by helping to reduce the risks associated with repetitive stress injuries.” &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        For businesses, ergonomics can have big economic implications. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that RSIs cost employers US$15-20 billion a year, with employees missing an average of 12 days of work and making US$38,500 in worker’s comp claims. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Goud encourages everyone to take a look at Microsoft Hardware’s ergonomic lineup and create a comfortable workstation for themselves. Certified ergonomists help design, test and approve peripherals from Microsoft Hardware, and the Sculpt Comfort Keyboard reflects a vast body of research. For example, it’s the first Microsoft keyboard to feature a split backspace-spacebar key. Internal research at Microsoft shows that more than 90 percent of people hit the spacebar with their right thumb, leaving the left side virtually untouched. (Go ahead, look at your keyboard – you’ll probably notice a shiny spot on the right-hand side where your thumb strikes.) That’s a lot of wasted real estate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        At the same time, the backspace key is the third-most used on the keyboard – perhaps a comment on our collective typing skills – trailing only the spacebar itself and the letter ‘e.’ These statistics led Microsoft to split the spacebar and add optional backspace functionality into the left-hand side. The result aims to improve both ergonomics and typing efficiency. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        (If all that change is overwhelming, don’t worry. The default mode is the standard keyboard set up we’ve used for years; customers must activate the split functionality.) &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Microsoft also increased the actual size of the space bar, making it easier to strike, since it’s the most frequently used key; included a palm lift to straighten and support wrists; and added Windows 8 hot keys so customers can quickly search, share, access device settings and more with the tap of a finger. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Goud notes that RSIs are often the accumulation of smaller injuries, and people often neglect the warning signs. He speaks from experience. When Goud first joined Microsoft on the U.S. Retail team, he noticed carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms. He ignored them for a while, then started taking frequent breaks. Finally he picked up the Microsoft Natural Desktop Ergonomic 7000 keyboard. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        The pain went away and never came back. &lt;/p&gt;
      </description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Sep 2012 20:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">5A398A4738E1119BA8A3238F8AB18486948F14EE</guid>
      <link>http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/sep12/09-19SculptComfortKeyboard.aspx</link>
      <category>Consumer</category>
      <category>Microsoft Hardware</category>
      <sxp:ChannelId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">NewsCenter</sxp:ChannelId>
      <sxp:FeedId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">FeatureStories</sxp:FeedId>
      <sxp:PublishId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">889632</sxp:PublishId>
      <sxp:AssetId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">5A398A4738E1119BA8A3238F8AB18486948F14EE</sxp:AssetId>
      <sxp:Author xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Comments xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:ContentType xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Copyright xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Url xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Type xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Length xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">0</sxp:Enclosure_Length>
      <sxp:ExpirationDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:GoLiveDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Wed, 19 Sep 2012 20:00:00 GMT</sxp:GoLiveDate>
      <sxp:IncludeInRiver xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IncludeInRiver>
      <sxp:IsFeatured xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">False</sxp:IsFeatured>
      <sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned>
      <sxp:LastUpdated xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Thu, 20 Sep 2012 15:48:29 GMT</sxp:LastUpdated>
      <sxp:Link xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/sep12/09-19SculptComfortKeyboard.aspx</sxp:Link>
      <sxp:PublishDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Wed, 19 Sep 2012 20:00:00 GMT</sxp:PublishDate>
      <sxp:RelativeTime xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">25 days ago</sxp:RelativeTime>
      <sxp:SortOrder xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:SourceName xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Title xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Type in Comfort With New Windows 8 Keyboard</sxp:Title>
      <sxp:Content xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 19, 2012 — &lt;/b&gt;Logging long hours at a computer is a bit like running a marathon, only it’s your fingers and forearms that pound the proverbial pavement – and most of us return to the starting line the very next day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Like a marathon, all that typing can cause pain. Left unchecked it can become a repetitive stress injury (RSI). So just as runners need the right shoes, office workers need the right equipment to comfortably grind out the miles. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Today, Microsoft Hardware announced the newest member of its ergonomic lineup, the Windows 8-enabled Sculpt Comfort Keyboard. The keyboard includes a number of ergonomic features designed for maximum comfort and efficiency, including a contoured layout, a detachable padded palm rest, and a split backspace-spacebar key.
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Sculpt Comfort Keyboard is part of Microsoft Hardware’s ongoing efforts to keep its customers comfortable as they spend ever-increasing hours on their computers, says Suneel Goud, senior product marketing manager in Microsoft Hardware. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        “At the end of the day, we want our customers to have a great computing experience,” Goud says. “And that comes from both the software experience and the hardware peripherals used to interface with the computer. Our lineup of keyboards and mice are designed to keep our customers comfortable and to keep them healthy by helping to reduce the risks associated with repetitive stress injuries.” &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        For businesses, ergonomics can have big economic implications. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that RSIs cost employers US$15-20 billion a year, with employees missing an average of 12 days of work and making US$38,500 in worker’s comp claims. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Goud encourages everyone to take a look at Microsoft Hardware’s ergonomic lineup and create a comfortable workstation for themselves. Certified ergonomists help design, test and approve peripherals from Microsoft Hardware, and the Sculpt Comfort Keyboard reflects a vast body of research. For example, it’s the first Microsoft keyboard to feature a split backspace-spacebar key. Internal research at Microsoft shows that more than 90 percent of people hit the spacebar with their right thumb, leaving the left side virtually untouched. (Go ahead, look at your keyboard – you’ll probably notice a shiny spot on the right-hand side where your thumb strikes.) That’s a lot of wasted real estate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        At the same time, the backspace key is the third-most used on the keyboard – perhaps a comment on our collective typing skills – trailing only the spacebar itself and the letter ‘e.’ These statistics led Microsoft to split the spacebar and add optional backspace functionality into the left-hand side. The result aims to improve both ergonomics and typing efficiency. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        (If all that change is overwhelming, don’t worry. The default mode is the standard keyboard set up we’ve used for years; customers must activate the split functionality.) &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Microsoft also increased the actual size of the space bar, making it easier to strike, since it’s the most frequently used key; included a palm lift to straighten and support wrists; and added Windows 8 hot keys so customers can quickly search, share, access device settings and more with the tap of a finger. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Goud notes that RSIs are often the accumulation of smaller injuries, and people often neglect the warning signs. He speaks from experience. When Goud first joined Microsoft on the U.S. Retail team, he noticed carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms. He ignored them for a while, then started taking frequent breaks. Finally he picked up the Microsoft Natural Desktop Ergonomic 7000 keyboard. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        The pain went away and never came back. &lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:Content>
      <sxp:Summary xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Microsoft unveils the Windows 8-enabled Sculpt Comfort Keyboard, which joins a growing number of peripherals aimed at delivering a healthy computing experience.</sxp:Summary>
      <sxp:MobileTitle xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Type in Comfort With New Windows 8 Keyboard</sxp:MobileTitle>
      <sxp:MobileContent xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 19, 2012 — &lt;/b&gt;Logging long hours at a computer is a bit like running a marathon, only it’s your fingers and forearms that pound the proverbial pavement – and most of us return to the starting line the very next day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Like a marathon, all that typing can cause pain. Left unchecked it can become a repetitive stress injury (RSI). So just as runners need the right shoes, office workers need the right equipment to comfortably grind out the miles. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Today, Microsoft Hardware announced the newest member of its ergonomic lineup, the Windows 8-enabled Sculpt Comfort Keyboard. The keyboard includes a number of ergonomic features designed for maximum comfort and efficiency, including a contoured layout, a detachable padded palm rest, and a split backspace-spacebar key.
        &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Sculpt Comfort Keyboard is part of Microsoft Hardware’s ongoing efforts to keep its customers comfortable as they spend ever-increasing hours on their computers, says Suneel Goud, senior product marketing manager in Microsoft Hardware. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        “At the end of the day, we want our customers to have a great computing experience,” Goud says. “And that comes from both the software experience and the hardware peripherals used to interface with the computer. Our lineup of keyboards and mice are designed to keep our customers comfortable and to keep them healthy by helping to reduce the risks associated with repetitive stress injuries.” &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        For businesses, ergonomics can have big economic implications. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that RSIs cost employers US$15-20 billion a year, with employees missing an average of 12 days of work and making US$38,500 in worker’s comp claims. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Goud encourages everyone to take a look at Microsoft Hardware’s ergonomic lineup and create a comfortable workstation for themselves. Certified ergonomists help design, test and approve peripherals from Microsoft Hardware, and the Sculpt Comfort Keyboard reflects a vast body of research. For example, it’s the first Microsoft keyboard to feature a split backspace-spacebar key. Internal research at Microsoft shows that more than 90 percent of people hit the spacebar with their right thumb, leaving the left side virtually untouched. (Go ahead, look at your keyboard – you’ll probably notice a shiny spot on the right-hand side where your thumb strikes.) That’s a lot of wasted real estate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        At the same time, the backspace key is the third-most used on the keyboard – perhaps a comment on our collective typing skills – trailing only the spacebar itself and the letter ‘e.’ These statistics led Microsoft to split the spacebar and add optional backspace functionality into the left-hand side. The result aims to improve both ergonomics and typing efficiency. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        (If all that change is overwhelming, don’t worry. The default mode is the standard keyboard set up we’ve used for years; customers must activate the split functionality.) &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Microsoft also increased the actual size of the space bar, making it easier to strike, since it’s the most frequently used key; included a palm lift to straighten and support wrists; and added Windows 8 hot keys so customers can quickly search, share, access device settings and more with the tap of a finger. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        Goud notes that RSIs are often the accumulation of smaller injuries, and people often neglect the warning signs. He speaks from experience. When Goud first joined Microsoft on the U.S. Retail team, he noticed carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms. He ignored them for a while, then started taking frequent breaks. Finally he picked up the Microsoft Natural Desktop Ergonomic 7000 keyboard. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
        The pain went away and never came back. &lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:MobileContent>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Consumer</sxp:Tag>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Microsoft Hardware</sxp:Tag>
      <sxpMd:IndividualCustomerSegment xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Consumer</sxpMd:IndividualCustomerSegment>
      <sxpMd:Product xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Microsoft Hardware</sxpMd:Product>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>HTC Makes Splash With Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S Devices</title>
      <description>
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;NEW YORK CITY – Sept. 19, 2012 –&lt;/b&gt; HTC unveiled two new Windows Phones, the Windows Phone 8X and 8S, at a press event today.
        “Pairing HTC’s beautiful new Windows Phone 8X and 8S with our brand is a big milestone for both companies,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “Together we are offering customers a clear choice and a truly unique experience. I’m thrilled to take our longstanding partnership to the next level.”  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both HTC phones are available in a variety of colors, and both feature Beats Audio, a “studio-quality” sound system with deeper bass and crisp vocals as well as a number of cutting-edge camera capabilities, including an 88-degree ultra-wide angle front-facing lens that allows up to four people and more to be captured at once.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; “We’ve been inspired by Windows Phone 8 to create new smartphones that give the platform the iconic design and personality it deserves,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corp.  “Windows Phone has clearly emerged as one of the top mobile ecosystems and is competitive against any other smartphone platform in the world.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Terry Myerson, vice president of the Windows Phone Division, said these HTC phones are an important first for Microsoft. “As you might have noticed, these are the first devices with ‘Windows Phone’ right in the name,” he said.  “HTC CEO Peter Chou said on stage this morning that, after seeing our plans for Windows Phone 8, he asked his designers to ‘go big’ and create something to match the software’s design and personality. I think they achieved that and more.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Ben Rudolph, director of Windows Phone experiential marketing, said in his blog that he’s been working with both phones since the early prototype days.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; “They’re flat-out awesome,” Rudolph said. “HTC did an incredible job of building devices that are beautiful, packed with killer specs, and feel great to use.” &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rudolph’s findings: Both phones are thin (around 10mm), and look even thinner due to a tapered edge and caseback.  Both phones go big on color; the 8X is monochrome, unibody polycarbonate and the 8S is two-tone polycarbonate. The 8S display is 4-inch SuperLCD Gorilla Glass, and the 8X is a 4.3-inch SuperLCD 2 720p display made from Gorilla Glass 2. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; The 8S has a dual-core 1 GHz processor, a 5MP rear camera, and 4 GB of internal storage (plus a microSD slot to add storage space). The 8X has a dual core 1.5 GHz processor, 16 GB of storage, and two “amazing” cameras. On the back, the 8X has a backside-illuminated 8MP camera that shoots full 1080p video, and on the front it has a 2.1MP, 1080p capable camera with an 88-degree viewing angle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; “Why is that important?  Because it’s tremendously wide compared to the competition,” Rudolph said. “You can comfortably fit about four people into the shot on one Skype call, which is a huge improvement over most other front-facing cameras.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The phones’ Beats Audio capabilities make for crisp and clear music, and the 8X also has two dedicated amplifiers – one for the headphone jack, and one for the speakers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Audio is kind of hard to explain in words, so here’s what I’d recommend – when the Windows Phone 8X hits the shelves, try listening to the same track on your current phone and headphones, then listen to the same track on the 8X + Beats headphones.  The difference is staggering,” Rudolph said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Both phones will be available in 50 countries from 150 mobile operators in early November. The HTC Windows Phones are part of a wide lineup of Windows Phone 8 devices set to hit the market later this year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Rudolph said the months of collaboration between Microsoft and HTC have resulted in two really impressive phones.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; “The design instantly stands out from the glass-and-aluminum crowd and the ergonomics are unparalleled,” he said. “They’re the perfect devices to bear the Windows Phone name.”  &lt;/p&gt;
      </description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:30:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">3171238FF93D8AF1FF91487E5EBC3865FD083712</guid>
      <link>http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/Features/2012/Sep12/09-19HTCWindowsPhone8.aspx</link>
      <category>Consumer</category>
      <category>Windows Phone 8</category>
      <category>Terry Myerson</category>
      <category>Steve Ballmer</category>
      <category>Telecommunications</category>
      <sxp:ChannelId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">NewsCenter</sxp:ChannelId>
      <sxp:FeedId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">FeatureStories</sxp:FeedId>
      <sxp:PublishId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">888497</sxp:PublishId>
      <sxp:AssetId xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">3171238FF93D8AF1FF91487E5EBC3865FD083712</sxp:AssetId>
      <sxp:Author xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Comments xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:ContentType xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Copyright xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Url xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Type xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Enclosure_Length xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">0</sxp:Enclosure_Length>
      <sxp:ExpirationDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:GoLiveDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Mon, 08 Oct 2012 23:50:23 GMT</sxp:GoLiveDate>
      <sxp:IncludeInRiver xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IncludeInRiver>
      <sxp:IsFeatured xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">False</sxp:IsFeatured>
      <sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">True</sxp:IsMicrosoftOwned>
      <sxp:LastUpdated xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Mon, 08 Oct 2012 23:53:00 GMT</sxp:LastUpdated>
      <sxp:Link xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/Features/2012/Sep12/09-19HTCWindowsPhone8.aspx</sxp:Link>
      <sxp:PublishDate xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:30:00 GMT</sxp:PublishDate>
      <sxp:RelativeTime xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">26 days ago</sxp:RelativeTime>
      <sxp:SortOrder xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:SourceName xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp" />
      <sxp:Title xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">HTC Makes Splash With Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S Devices</sxp:Title>
      <sxp:Content xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;NEW YORK CITY – Sept. 19, 2012 –&lt;/b&gt; HTC unveiled two new Windows Phones, the Windows Phone 8X and 8S, at a press event today.
        “Pairing HTC’s beautiful new Windows Phone 8X and 8S with our brand is a big milestone for both companies,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “Together we are offering customers a clear choice and a truly unique experience. I’m thrilled to take our longstanding partnership to the next level.”  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both HTC phones are available in a variety of colors, and both feature Beats Audio, a “studio-quality” sound system with deeper bass and crisp vocals as well as a number of cutting-edge camera capabilities, including an 88-degree ultra-wide angle front-facing lens that allows up to four people and more to be captured at once.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; “We’ve been inspired by Windows Phone 8 to create new smartphones that give the platform the iconic design and personality it deserves,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corp.  “Windows Phone has clearly emerged as one of the top mobile ecosystems and is competitive against any other smartphone platform in the world.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Terry Myerson, vice president of the Windows Phone Division, said these HTC phones are an important first for Microsoft. “As you might have noticed, these are the first devices with ‘Windows Phone’ right in the name,” he said.  “HTC CEO Peter Chou said on stage this morning that, after seeing our plans for Windows Phone 8, he asked his designers to ‘go big’ and create something to match the software’s design and personality. I think they achieved that and more.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Ben Rudolph, director of Windows Phone experiential marketing, said in his blog that he’s been working with both phones since the early prototype days.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; “They’re flat-out awesome,” Rudolph said. “HTC did an incredible job of building devices that are beautiful, packed with killer specs, and feel great to use.” &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rudolph’s findings: Both phones are thin (around 10mm), and look even thinner due to a tapered edge and caseback.  Both phones go big on color; the 8X is monochrome, unibody polycarbonate and the 8S is two-tone polycarbonate. The 8S display is 4-inch SuperLCD Gorilla Glass, and the 8X is a 4.3-inch SuperLCD 2 720p display made from Gorilla Glass 2. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; The 8S has a dual-core 1 GHz processor, a 5MP rear camera, and 4 GB of internal storage (plus a microSD slot to add storage space). The 8X has a dual core 1.5 GHz processor, 16 GB of storage, and two “amazing” cameras. On the back, the 8X has a backside-illuminated 8MP camera that shoots full 1080p video, and on the front it has a 2.1MP, 1080p capable camera with an 88-degree viewing angle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; “Why is that important?  Because it’s tremendously wide compared to the competition,” Rudolph said. “You can comfortably fit about four people into the shot on one Skype call, which is a huge improvement over most other front-facing cameras.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The phones’ Beats Audio capabilities make for crisp and clear music, and the 8X also has two dedicated amplifiers – one for the headphone jack, and one for the speakers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Audio is kind of hard to explain in words, so here’s what I’d recommend – when the Windows Phone 8X hits the shelves, try listening to the same track on your current phone and headphones, then listen to the same track on the 8X + Beats headphones.  The difference is staggering,” Rudolph said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Both phones will be available in 50 countries from 150 mobile operators in early November. The HTC Windows Phones are part of a wide lineup of Windows Phone 8 devices set to hit the market later this year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Rudolph said the months of collaboration between Microsoft and HTC have resulted in two really impressive phones.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; “The design instantly stands out from the glass-and-aluminum crowd and the ergonomics are unparalleled,” he said. “They’re the perfect devices to bear the Windows Phone name.”  &lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:Content>
      <sxp:Summary xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">HTC announced today that it will launch two new Windows Phone 8 devices this fall, the Windows Phone 8X and the 8S. Both feature new audio and camera capabilities, and were created specifically to show off the Windows Phone 8 operating system’s “iconic design and personality,” said HTC CEO Peter Chou.</sxp:Summary>
      <sxp:MobileTitle xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">HTC Makes Splash With Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S Devices</sxp:MobileTitle>
      <sxp:MobileContent xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">
        &lt;p&gt;
        &lt;b&gt;NEW YORK CITY – Sept. 19, 2012 –&lt;/b&gt; HTC unveiled two new Windows Phones, the Windows Phone 8X and 8S, at a press event today.
        “Pairing HTC’s beautiful new Windows Phone 8X and 8S with our brand is a big milestone for both companies,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “Together we are offering customers a clear choice and a truly unique experience. I’m thrilled to take our longstanding partnership to the next level.”  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Both HTC phones are available in a variety of colors, and both feature Beats Audio, a “studio-quality” sound system with deeper bass and crisp vocals as well as a number of cutting-edge camera capabilities, including an 88-degree ultra-wide angle front-facing lens that allows up to four people and more to be captured at once.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; “We’ve been inspired by Windows Phone 8 to create new smartphones that give the platform the iconic design and personality it deserves,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corp.  “Windows Phone has clearly emerged as one of the top mobile ecosystems and is competitive against any other smartphone platform in the world.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Terry Myerson, vice president of the Windows Phone Division, said these HTC phones are an important first for Microsoft. “As you might have noticed, these are the first devices with ‘Windows Phone’ right in the name,” he said.  “HTC CEO Peter Chou said on stage this morning that, after seeing our plans for Windows Phone 8, he asked his designers to ‘go big’ and create something to match the software’s design and personality. I think they achieved that and more.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Ben Rudolph, director of Windows Phone experiential marketing, said in his blog that he’s been working with both phones since the early prototype days.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; “They’re flat-out awesome,” Rudolph said. “HTC did an incredible job of building devices that are beautiful, packed with killer specs, and feel great to use.” &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rudolph’s findings: Both phones are thin (around 10mm), and look even thinner due to a tapered edge and caseback.  Both phones go big on color; the 8X is monochrome, unibody polycarbonate and the 8S is two-tone polycarbonate. The 8S display is 4-inch SuperLCD Gorilla Glass, and the 8X is a 4.3-inch SuperLCD 2 720p display made from Gorilla Glass 2. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; The 8S has a dual-core 1 GHz processor, a 5MP rear camera, and 4 GB of internal storage (plus a microSD slot to add storage space). The 8X has a dual core 1.5 GHz processor, 16 GB of storage, and two “amazing” cameras. On the back, the 8X has a backside-illuminated 8MP camera that shoots full 1080p video, and on the front it has a 2.1MP, 1080p capable camera with an 88-degree viewing angle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; “Why is that important?  Because it’s tremendously wide compared to the competition,” Rudolph said. “You can comfortably fit about four people into the shot on one Skype call, which is a huge improvement over most other front-facing cameras.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The phones’ Beats Audio capabilities make for crisp and clear music, and the 8X also has two dedicated amplifiers – one for the headphone jack, and one for the speakers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Audio is kind of hard to explain in words, so here’s what I’d recommend – when the Windows Phone 8X hits the shelves, try listening to the same track on your current phone and headphones, then listen to the same track on the 8X + Beats headphones.  The difference is staggering,” Rudolph said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Both phones will be available in 50 countries from 150 mobile operators in early November. The HTC Windows Phones are part of a wide lineup of Windows Phone 8 devices set to hit the market later this year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Rudolph said the months of collaboration between Microsoft and HTC have resulted in two really impressive phones.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; “The design instantly stands out from the glass-and-aluminum crowd and the ergonomics are unparalleled,” he said. “They’re the perfect devices to bear the Windows Phone name.”  &lt;/p&gt;
      </sxp:MobileContent>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Consumer</sxp:Tag>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Windows Phone 8</sxp:Tag>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Terry Myerson</sxp:Tag>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Steve Ballmer</sxp:Tag>
      <sxp:Tag xmlns:sxp="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/sxp">Telecommunications</sxp:Tag>
      <sxpMd:IndividualCustomerSegment xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Consumer</sxpMd:IndividualCustomerSegment>
      <sxpMd:Product xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Windows Phone 8</sxpMd:Product>
      <sxpMd:Executives xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Terry Myerson,Steve Ballmer</sxpMd:Executives>
      <sxpMd:VerticalIndustry xmlns:sxpMd="http://sxpdata.microsoft.com/metadata">Telecommunications</sxpMd:VerticalIndustry>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>